


By the Rook

by dsa_archivist



Category: due South
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1999-04-26
Updated: 1999-04-26
Packaged: 2018-11-11 02:36:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 47,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11139459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dsa_archivist/pseuds/dsa_archivist
Summary: This story is a sequel toTeddys, Rivs and Memories.





	By the Rook

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Speranza, the archivist: this story was once archived at [Due South Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Due_South_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Due South Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/duesoutharchive).

By the Rook  
  
  


## By the Rook

  
=========================================  
Follows the story, Teddy's, Riv's & Memories, Story Two in the Nearer  
to Thee series/trilogy.  
============================================================  
  
        Dewey sat beside his  
partner as they drove up a street  
that wasn't a particularly safe  
place for women to be. It  
was also a cold wet day and there was no one out on the  
street. With the exception of a hooker leaning against a wall. Huey pulled  
up a little way down the street and climbed out, hitting the roof.          
        "You too. The  
only way you'll have any luck  
cultivating the ladies around here  
is if I introduce you to  
a few of them."  
        Dewey climbed out grumbling  
and followed Huey. The  
hooker smiled at him as he approached.  
        "How's my Favourite  
Cop?"  
        "Fine."  
        "Who's your  
friend?"  
        "His  
name's Dewey."  
        "You  
gonna teach him how to play the game?"  
        "I'll  
let Ray teach him the rules."  
        She  
laughed.  
        "It's  
a damn cold day to be out here, looking for  
action," Huey  
said.  
        "You looking for  
a little? Cause I'm hot."  
        "What's  
it going to cost me?"  
        She  
rubbed her finger's at him.  
        Huey  
pulled out his wallet and started pulling out  
notes. Only when  
there was nothing left in it, did she reach  
out to take his money.  
She folded it and slipped it down her  
bra.  
        "You better make  
it worth my while. Sweetheart."  
        She  
dragged him into a sheltered inset door way. And  
Dewey watched  
as went down on him. Dewey watched amazed as  
Huey's arms went out either side of the door and he started  
arching.  
        "Oh, yeah.. You  
still got the touch Goldie."  
        Dewey  
turned away and watched traffic go past and  
wondered why he let  
Huey talk him into coming into this part  
of town on such a cold  
wet miserable day. He'd rather be  
back at the nice warm station doing paper work, than  
standing on a street, getting drizzled on and listening to  
his partner get a blow job.  
         Finally it was over.  
He heard a zip being zipped and  
then Goldie sauntered away pulling  
out a compact to reapply  
her lipstick. Huey was leaning against  
a side wall in that  
sheltered door way, tugging on his collar trying to wipe the  
smile  
off his face as Dewey joined him.  
        "I should arrest  
you for solicitation."  
        "Hang  
around here long enough and you can arrest  
Vecchio for it,"  
Huey said, and put his hands into his  
pockets and walked out into  
the rain.           
        Dewey  
hurried after him.  
        "You  
busted Vecchio out here?"  
        Huey  
smirked and let out a whistle as they approached a  
window of one  
of the numerous apartments on the street.  
        Then window opened and  
a heavily made up face of an  
Italian street walker appeared as  
they looked around. Dewey  
watched her rise up to flash a highly  
impressive bust  
encased in a tiny brassiere as she leaned out the window.  
She smiled at Huey."  
        "Hey there big boy."  
        "You're too  
late.. I was already cleaned out."  
        "That's  
O.K. I take plastic.. Whatcha got?"  
        "That  
depends on what you got.. You wanna play  
straight, or Kinky?"  
        "Kinky Honey chile'"  
        "I'll send  
him around."  
        "You  
do that. I like a man who knows how to cook.  
Tell him I'm in the  
mood for Marinara."  
        "Meet my friend  
Dewey."  
        She  
looked Dewey up and down.  
        "He  
know how to play the game or what?"  
        "I  
was gonna get Ray to teach him."  
        She  
laughed then she pulled the window down and pulled  
the curtains.  
Huey sauntered off with the amazed Dewey  
following.  
        Huey tapped on the next  
window along and when it was  
opened a leather clad Dominatrix poked  
her head out. She  
looked at Huey then reached down and pulled out a soft  
leather cat of nine lash and dangled it back and forth as  
she leaned on the window sill.  
        "I've been a very  
bad girl."  
        "I'll  
send him around."  
        "You  
do that.. Or I'll have to punish you."  
        "Meet  
my friend Dewey."  
        "Have  
you been a bad boy?" she asked and flicked it  
at him, the  
soft lashes caressing his face.  
        "I'm outta here."  
        He walked away.  
Huey and the Dominatrix laughed.  
        "Obviously  
you haven't told him how to play the game,  
Jack."  
        "I was going to  
get Ray to teach him the rules."  
        She  
laughed.  
        "Good  
move.. No one play's the game like Ray. And  
speaking of games.."  
        She flicked the lash  
across his chest.  
        "I'll  
get Ray to drop by," he said and sauntered off  
after his partner.  
        15 minutes later he pulled  
the car into a street garage  
and slid his seat back and surprised  
Dewey by undoing his  
pants and then reaching down. He winced when we heard a tape  
tearing  
sound, then Huey pulled a very large bandage patch  
out from under his trousers and readjusted everything.  
        Turning the bandage over,  
Huey studied the message  
written on the strip of paper that had  
taken the place of  
gauze.  
        "What's that?"  
        "Something's  
going down on Diabolo Street," Huey said,  
and started the  
car up again and pulled out.  
        "What?"  
        Huey shrugged.  
        "Goldie  
doesn't supply me with information like that.  
Just the best places  
to be when something's going down. And  
whatever it is.. It's gotta  
be big.. It's pretty rare for  
her to pass on information. When she does, it's usually  
something pretty big. And even then, its usually Ray she  
passes it too. He picks her up and takes her to a hotel for  
the  
night."  
        "Rrrright."  
        "Half the time  
I think he does it just to get her off  
the street for a night."  
        "Uh-Hu."  
        "Goldie's life would  
be worth spit if some of the  
people she's snitched on discovered  
she was the one who  
passed the information onto the cops. And she's the most  
reliable snitch in town.. So she doesn't cough up a lot of  
information.. But she does come up with information that can  
lead  
to high profile busts. Or get some dealer who's moving  
poison off  
the streets."  
        "Ah."  
        "Before you came  
along she gave Ray the Hi there big  
boy and he netted himself a  
cop killer. Edorado Valdez. He  
killed six cops before Ray nabbed him. One of them was his  
last partner."  
        "So that's why he  
doesn't have a partner."  
        "The  
first one resigned, the second one got killed.  
Now he's got Fraser."  
        "What is the deal  
between those two? I mean Kowalski.  
He was just plain weird. And  
only put up with the Mountie  
due to the fact he was covering for Vecchio.."  
        "The deal is Ray's  
the best friend Fraser's got, and  
Fraser's probably the best Friend  
Ray has ever had. And the  
Vecchio family practically adopted Fraser..  
Ray's his next  
of Kin."  
        "Sometimes I wonder."  
        "About what?"  
        "Wether's there's  
something going on between them  
apart from friendship."  
        "So what if there  
is. What they get up to behind  
closed doors is their business."  
        "So there *is* something  
going on."  
        "I  
wouldn't know. I don't care."  
        "Oh  
come on.. If they're gay.."  
        "What?"  
        "Well.. I for  
one won't be hanging around in the  
shower if he's around."  
        "I'm Gay."  
        That shut up Dewey.  
        "I thought  
you'd say that."  
        "You  
could have told me sooner."  
        Huey  
rolled his eyes.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        The address they were  
given turned out to be a long  
abandoned apartment building. The  
apartment looked out over  
nothing but a car park, and Dewey tripped  
on a floor board.  
The board came loose and clattered to the floor  
as he fell.  
        "Are you all right?"  
Huey asked as he helped him up.  
        Dewey  
batted him off and turned to pick up that board.  
He was about to  
put it back when he saw something under the  
boards.  
        "There's something  
under the floor."  
        Huey  
joined him, and they started ripping up floor  
boards. What they  
found was a full skeleton, and a gun that  
lay on its rib cage.  
        "Hey, what's this?"  
Huey looked up as Dewey held up a  
black chess piece. A Rook.  
        "A Rook."  
        "Isn't that the  
name of a gang in these parts?"  
        Huey  
nodded.  
        "The  
biggest organised crime gang around. They get em  
while they're  
kid's and think being part of a gang is cool..  
And by the time  
they work out what they've joined isn't just  
a bunch of kids banding  
together. It's usually too late..  
Once a Rook alway's a Rook.. It's pretty rare for someone to  
get  
out before they're in way too deep to ever get out."  
        He  
reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen light  
torch and shone  
it around.  
        "Like Edorado. He  
*initated* six kids. Goldie put Ray  
on the right track to find  
the kid Edorado initiated when he  
killed Ray's partner."  
        "That's how they  
initiate them.. By getting them  
involved in a cop killing?!"  
        "Just the one's  
they think are worth wrapping a tight  
noose around."  
        He sat back on his heels.  
        "There's nothing  
else in here.. He must have been  
stripped.. Where did you find  
it?"  
        "The hand. There's  
a number here."  
        Huey  
reached out to take it and looked at the bottom  
and gulped.  
        "Huey?"  
        "It's been here  
a long time.. At least twenty  
years.."  
        "How can you tell?"  
        "When you're  
a new initiate they give you a rook with  
a number on it. This is  
a low digit number.. The kid Ray  
netted had a high digit number. This number is for someone  
who was in the gang 20 years ago. A cop called Fordam who's  
kid  
they snared almost busted up the Rooks trying to get the  
kid out  
before it was too late.. He pulled in Rooks with  
pieces marked with number's between 70 and 130 during that  
period."  
        "That's 135."  
        "Someone who  
was initiated to replace people who were  
busted during Vince's  
purge.."  
        Huey climbed to his feet.  
        "Maybe even  
Vince's kid."  
        "How  
do you know all this?"  
        Huey  
started prowling through the room looking for  
clues as to who might  
have been in the room recently.  
        "Watch the car.  
I don't like this one little bit."  
        Dewey  
moved to the window to watch the car.  
        "How  
do you know all that stuff about Fordam and the  
Rooks?"  
        "He was my first  
partner when I was fresh out of the  
academy."  
        "That means he wasn't  
a detective."  
        "Beat  
cop. He could have been a detective long before  
I came along, but  
he liked being a beat cop. And let it  
slide because he was obsessed with breaking the Rooks power  
base."  
        "So what happened  
to him?"  
        "He  
got promoted to Detective and transferred after he  
started bringing  
in the Rooks. He turned down three  
promotions while he was doing it... Just so he could keep  
it up.. It's like those street walkers... They'll tell Ray  
anything, just because they know him.. And trust him.. His  
every lady's favourite cop there. And they *are* ladies.. Or  
as  
Ray calls them LWL's."  
        "What's that?"  
        "Ladies with  
Libidos."  
        Dewey  
laughed.  
        "They  
know him, they know that if they need a cop,  
he'll take care of  
whatever needs taking care of, and all he  
wants in return is a  
little information. It was just the  
same with the people on Vince's beat, they knew and trusted  
him..  
And the kids the Rooks were inducting knew that if  
they went to Vince, he'd take care of them.. He'd give any  
kid an even break. Talk to the judge, promise to keep an eye  
on  
them and keep them out of trouble. Half the Rooks new  
recruits were snatched out of their grasp, thanks to  
Vince.."  
        "Gotcha.."  
        Huey returned to  
the hole in the floor going to his  
hands and knees to study the  
boards.          
        "This  
wasn't an accident. Someone used a crow bar on  
that board you tripped  
on.. Look at this."  
        Dewey returned and went  
down to see what Huey found.  
        "A  
coin."  
        Huey  
pulled a flick knife from his pocket and used it  
to pry out the  
coin.  
        "It was jammed in  
there to make sure the board didn't  
just fall back into place."  
        The coin went flying  
and Dewey snatched it out of the  
air and looked at it.  
        "It's a double header."  
        He handed it to  
Huey who looked at it.  
        "Vince's  
coin."  
        "What?"  
        "This is Vince's  
double header. Goldie doesn't carry  
coins.. It must have been there  
with the body.. That  
means.."  
        He snatched out his cel  
phone and hit the speed dial.  
        "Mean's  
what?"  
        "Francesca.  
I need a big favour.. Track down a police  
detective for me.. By  
the name of Vincent Fordam. No he's not there.. I  
don't know what  
precinct he's at.. Just track him down for me.. Use the  
computer.."  
He said giving her a  
badge number to work with along with all the personal  
details he could think of.  
        Then he looked at Dewey.  
        "Watch the  
car.. I don't want to go out like Louis."  
        Dewey  
scuttled over to the window. Huey rested the  
phone on his shoulder  
and shuffled around on his knees and  
started ripping up more boards. Dewey kept glancing from the  
window  
to Huey.  
        Huey let out a curse.  
Dewey stepped forward.  
        "Watch  
the damned car!"  
        Dewey  
stepped back.  
        "What  
did you find?"  


  | "There's another one here." |   
---|---|---  
  
        Then Francesca was back.  
        "Uh-hu.. When?  
Uh-hu... Line of duty or.. Uh-hu..  
Thanks now do me another favour."  
        He ripped up another  
board.  
        "Get  
Welsh to the phone."  
        Up  
went another board, another and another before Welsh  
came on.  
        "We've got ourselves  
a gang grave yard... 13 Diabolo  
street.. The car's parked out front..  
3 so far.."  
        Up went another board.  
        "Make that  
4\. Could be more.. Knowing this particular  
informant's track record  
for tipping the really big stuff  
going down.. There's probably a lot more.."  
        He kicked at the boards.  
Four broke off and went  
flying.  
        "Ohdeargod. There's  
a cop among them.. Number five's  
got a badge."  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "How many?"  
        "16.."  
        "Hell.. I'm  
glad it was you Goldie tipped off and not  
me."  
        "I don't think she  
would have tipped you off to it."  
        "Goldie  
always tips me off."  
        "Not  
this time.. She was waiting for me. Because I  
would work out who's  
grave yard it was.. Because I was  
involved with the cop they created that grave yard to pay  
back.."  
        "They killed *16*  
people to pay back some cop!"  
        "We're  
talking about The Rooks."  
        "Ooooh..  
Fordam, right. He almost busted the whole  
damn gang."  
        Huey nodded.  
        "Figures..  
You been able to find him?"  
        "He's  
dead. Murdered.. Vanished, six weeks after he  
transferred out..  
They found his body walled up in the  
station house when they were renovating."  
        "The Rooks."  
        "I haven't  
seen the file on it yet."  
        "Trust  
me.. It was the Rooks.. Probably Edorado. And  
he was probably the  
one behind that grave yard too. His last  
request was to see the  
cop who took him down. He bragged  
that there a lot more bodies floating around that we'd never  
find..  
Said I'd end up in a wall like the last Cop who  
thought he could take down a king pin. And you and Fordam  
were buddies weren't you."  
        Huey nodded.  
        "Skip  
the file.. You don't wanna know how he died."  
        "He  
told you."  
        "He  
took great pleasure in describing every little  
detail of how he  
handled that cop, and my partner.. I almost  
saved them the trouble  
of executing him."  
        "You said he was  
probably behind the grave yard too..  
What else did he tell you?"  
        "He admitted he'd  
killed a lot more people.. and then  
started telling me *aaaall*  
about how he killed them.. If  
ever a man got what was coming to him, it was that sadist.  
Gotta pen?"  
        Huey pulled out his note  
pad and pen while Ray racked  
his memory and started reeling off  
names.  
        "Those are just  
the names he gave me.. Some times he  
didn't name his victims..  
Sometimes he did. He didn't tell  
me where I could find the bodies though.. Buuut.. He may  
have given me a hint that went right over my head at the  
time."  
        "What do you mean?"  
        "When I asked  
him.. He said I'd have a real devil of a  
time working out where  
his graveyard was. And where'd you  
find em?"  
        "13 Diabolo street."  
        "He's having  
the last laugh now."  
        Huey  
held up a wad of cash.  
        "Get  
Goldie out of town. I doubt she knew it was a  
damned graveyard.  
When they work out who tipped us off..  
She'll end up in one."  
        Ray took the cash, pocketing  
it.  
        "Or a wall,"  
was his parting shot as he spun and  
walked off.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Fraser opened his door  
to find Ray on his step and  
smiled. Then he noticed the tall almost  
feminine looking man  
behind him. A blonde, one who was checking  
him out in a way that made him  
feel less than comfortable. Which  
is why Fraser gave his attention to Ray  
instead  
        "Ray what can I  
do for you?"  
        "You  
know that spare bedroom of yours.."  
        He  
pulled a wad of cash out.  
        "I  
want to rent it off you."  
        Fraser  
waved them in and the blonde looked around.  
        "I'd  
like you to meet an old friend of mine. This is  
Gordon.. He needs  
somewhere to hang out for a while."  
        "You just move in?"  
Gordon asked.  
        "Oh..  
No.. Ray's been promising to help me find some  
furniture.. But.."  
        "You're a big boy  
you can find your own furniture."  
        "And  
all you'll do is complain about my taste in  
furniture if I don't  
involve you in the process of  
furnishing the apartment."  
        "He's my partner,"  
Ray informed Gordon who was  
forming a few idea's about what kind  
of partner that was  
from their conversation.  
        "Unofficial."  
        "Police work  
kind of partner not your kind of partner.  
He is Dead Straight,  
clear?"  
        "Clear."  
        "It better be..  
I don't wanna hear about you hitting  
on Benni.."  
        Fraser's eyes widened  
fractionally.  
        "He's  
gay.. And if you ever want some tips on going  
undercover as a woman  
again, he's the guy to ask. He's a  
Trannie."  
        "Vite or Sexual?"  
        "I'm just trying  
to get enough money for the op."  
        "You  
forget about that for now. You stay off the  
streets till we can  
get the feds to put you in the witness  
protection program. Capice?"  
        Gordon nodded.  
        "Good.  
I'll just show him the room.. It's the one on  
the left right?"  
        Fraser nodded.  
        "It's  
unfurnished."  
        "I'll  
take care of that. I'll get Huey to help me  
bring some stuff over  
from the house.. I'm pretty sure we've  
got enough stuff up in the  
attic to furnish a bedroom."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey met Ray on the porch  
of his house.  
        "You  
put Goldie up *Where*?!"  
        "Fraser's  
place."  
        "I  
gave you enough money to get her outta town."  
        "Huey..  
I hate to break it to ya like this but Goldie  
ain't a Lady."  
        "And you put her  
up with Fraser?!"  
        "She's  
a He.. Other wise known as Gordon (Goldie)."  
        Huey  
stared at him. Ray stepped back ready to avoid a  
punch in the face  
for not mentioning it earlier but it  
didn't come.  
        "I made him cut  
off his hair, put him in men's clothes  
and made him up to change  
his appearance totally, he looked  
like a drop dead gorgeous guy  
instead of a woman for a  
change. No one woulda recognised him by the time I was  
through. He's safe where he is.. They're going to be putting  
the  
word out on Goldie, not Gordon. He's safe with Fraser  
for now.. Aren't you gonna punch me out for not telling you  
sooner?"  
        "I don't want to  
even know how you found out she was a  
he."  
        Ray laughed.  
        "It  
wasn't that way.. Trust me, I don't do nothing  
with any of the  
Rooks women. Thanks to Goldie I know how  
they play the game.."  
        "So how did you  
find out?"  
        "He  
used to be a choir boy down at my church. Still  
show's up for services,  
regular as clockwork every week..  
Doesn't go to confession no more though.."  
        "Ooooh."  
        "His family would  
freak if they knew what he was  
doing."  
        "I bet."  
        "They'd freak if  
they knew their Boy thinks he shoulda  
been born a woman. He's saving  
up to get the op.. The money  
you gave me, plus what he's got should  
do it.. And if we  
lean on the Feds we should be able to get him into the  
witness protection program and Goldie can make a new life  
for herself after the op."  
        "And you'll lose  
your best snitch."  
        "Gordon's  
a Rook.. Pretty boy looks like a girl.. They  
always got him to  
do his cross dressing thing and sucker  
some dead straight guy, then break the news to him with lots  
of  
pretty pictures. That's how they got your old buddy  
Fordam to stop harassing them."  
        Huey stared at him.  
        "What guy isn't  
gonna be flattered if a pretty young  
thing like Goldie turns on  
the charm. He was only human."  
        "Did  
you *always* know Goldie was Gordon?"  
        "I  
thought she looked familiar. I worked it out for  
myself, without  
jumping in the sack with him to do it.. Now  
I gotta get some furniture  
over to Fraser's place for Goldie  
to use.. You gonna help me get  
it over there or what?"  
        "I'll help.. When  
you tell me how you got Goldie to  
tell you about Fordam and the  
rest."  
        "How I get information  
out of Gordon is my business.  
You know the rules.. Don't ask how  
I get any of them to  
start talking and I'll keep them from taking lots of pretty  
pictures  
of you getting your rocks off. And don't tell me  
you don't accept when they hit on you. Dewey told me all  
about your little trawl this morning and asked me what the  
deal is.."  
        "He thinks your  
gay."  
        "Oh  
he does does he.. I'll have to take him around  
there when I drop  
in on Mz Behaving and get her to give him  
a few lesson's in how  
to play the game."  
        Huey snickered and Ray  
slapped him on the back and  
steered him into the house.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Fraser watched Huey drive  
away and almost jumped when  
he felt Ray's breath on his neck before  
he felt a hand on  
his back.  
        "Huey gone?"  
        "He just left."  
        Ray dangled his  
car keys in Fraser's face.  
        "I  
checked the box. You're gonna need to get some food  
in.. Take the  
Riv and go shopping," Ray said steering him  
toward the car.  
        Fraser took the keys  
turning to stare at him. Ray  
pulled a list out of his pocket with  
some money.  
        "This ought to cover  
it. Let Gordon loose in the  
kitchen and you won't regret it."  
        Fraser took it.  
        "Are you trying  
to get rid of me?"  
        "Good  
guess. Gordon's the best snitch in the city.  
He's got something  
to tell me.. But he's not gonna start  
talking till your gone and we've finished dickering about  
what I'm wiling to pay for his information. So I figure you  
might  
as well make yourself useful."  
        "I don't think that's  
a very wise idea."  
        "Why?"  
        "He's gay."  
        "Yeah, so?"  
        "Well.. I was  
watching him.. Watching you and Huey  
while to were moving furniture.  
He kept saying maybe over  
there, just to watch your body move a certain way."  
        Ray laughed.  
        "Oh  
yeah, that's Goldie. Sh..He's been drooling over  
me since we were  
kids and I lost my puppy fat. Don't worry,  
I know how to handle  
him. Part of the dickering process is a  
lot of flirting and naughty  
suggestions. He is not gonna  
start dickering till you walk. So shoo."  
        "And what happens  
if he gets serious? You didn't see  
the way he was watching you."  
        "Look, Benni, trust  
me, I can handle Goldie. Just go.  
Goldie is the best snitch in  
town.. Whatever he's got is  
gonna be big.. Maybe even as big as the tip he gave Huey.  
Which is why I put him up here in the first place.. That was  
a  
doozy.. I can't wait to hear what he's got for me. So  
shoo."  
        "I'll leave Dief.  
He'll protect you if you need it."  
        "No..  
Take him with you. I can handle Goldie. If he  
gets touchy feelie  
on me I'll introduce him to my favourite  
classic. The nutcracker  
suite."  
        Fraser smiled faintly.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray stood by the window  
watching the Riv with the  
Mountie and his wolf driving away and  
Gordon stepped up  
behind him wrapping arms around him, blowing hot air on his  
neck,  
and kissing it.  
        "Is he gone?"  
Gordon asked.  
        "Yeah,"  
Ray said, breaking the hold, turning.  
        "I'm  
putting you up in a safe place and getting you  
into the witness  
protection programme.. That's got to be  
worth more than.."  
        "Oh.. But that's  
payment for what I gave Huey.. What  
I've got is just for you..and  
if you want it.. You've got to  
meet my price. Take it or leave  
it."  
        "What you got for  
me?"  
        Gordon  
reached around Ray to pull the curtains closed  
and wrapped his  
arms around Ray's neck.  
        "You know the rules,"  
Gordon said, then kissed him.  
        "It  
better be worth it Goldie.. I don't think you've  
got any little  
tid bits left worth sharing.."  
        Gordon slipped around  
behind Ray and nuzzled the back  
of his neck and rubbed against  
him.  
        "This is gonna be  
worth it, believe me. I was there  
for a meeting of the Rooks..  
And I mean an all members  
meeting in the Devils triangle. The last time that happened  
was  
when Fordam was trying to bust up the Rooks."  
        -Forget Doozy.. Whatever  
you've got to share is  
definitely gonna make it worth my while-  
        Ray let him draw him  
to the freshly made bed and make  
out. Clothes were shed and he  
looked up at the roof thinking  
how funny it was he was the one's  
who always seemed to get  
the better half of the deal as Goldie's mouth closed over  
his sex.  
        He was contentedly smiling  
in post orgasmic bliss when  
he heard the sound of a gun cocking.  
His eyes sprang open  
and he saw Gordon standing beside the bed with his own gun,  
aimed  
at his head.  
        "Guess what.. They  
know you cultivated the patch..  
Every hooker on the patch had orders  
to get you in.. So they  
could get their hands on you.. A smile,  
the usual.. A Mickey  
Finn and you're waking up in the Rooks heart  
land..Where  
every man in the gang would be lining up for a shot at  
fucking you."  
        "Ohgod."  
        "Before they find  
a nice wall and brick you up in it,  
still breathing, it's a horrible  
way to die.."  
        "I told ya.. I'd  
get you into the witness protection  
programme," Ray growled  
out.  
        "You don't know  
what the Rooks can do. They could find  
me even in that programme..  
This is the only way. They want  
you dead. Edororo told em how to  
do it, before they exed  
him. You and Jack.. He wants ya both dead.. Jack finding  
that graveyard was all part of the plan, they knew he'd send  
you  
out to get me out.. Course, this ain't the way that they  
want it  
done, I was s'posed to cuff ya up and call them to  
come and get you, but I ain't gonna let them do it the way  
they wanna do it.. This way it's quick and merciful."  
        "I got money.. cousins  
all over the world.. I can get  
you a ticket outta here.. They can  
help you make a new life  
for yourself in some other country. There  
won't be any  
records for the Rooks to find you," he babbled as he  
watched Gordon's finger tightening on the trigger.  
        Gordon hesitated.  
        "Just give me the  
phone, I'll start making calls right  
now."  


  | That finger started tightening on the trigger again. |   
---|---|---  
  
        "I swear, Goldie  
I'll take care of ya.. You're one of  
my snitches, I always take  
care of my snitches.. Didn't I  
always take care of the ladies.. Anyone who messed with them, I took  
care  
of. Nobody messes up one of my Ladies and gets away with it..  
I can make ya  
vanish. The Rooks'll never find ya."  
        "You don't have  
enough money to.."  
        "I  
do, I do.. I went undercover in the Mob for  
months.. I got paid  
for every day I was away, and a big fat  
bonus I've been saving  
it up.. Putting a little away each  
week on top of it.. I was gonna do something special with  
the money. Just pick up the phone and call the bank.. The  
cards in my wallet... You can find out how much money I  
got.. Just please put the gun down.. I can look after you..  
No  
one has to die."  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey rolled over and  
looked at his clock to the  
accompaniment of thuds on his door.  
With a little growl  
about middle of the night visitors he climbed out of bed,  
dragged on a robe and stomped through his apartment. When he  
peeped  
through the peep hole he reared back, then quickly  
got the door unlocked and open.  
        The wet, bedraggled and  
quite drunk Ray staggered in.  
        "Ray!  
What the hell?!"  
        Ray  
collapsed, and Huey dived for him to catch him  
before he hit the  
floor.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "Yes, sir, I know  
sir.. But Dewey can handle that.. No  
sir. I'm not sick. Ray is..  
He showed up on my doorstep dead  
drunk and collapsed on me. He's  
sick as a dog right now..  
I'm taking care of him.. That's right, he's not coming in  
either.. I think he got mugged.. No wallet.. no gun.. His  
pockets were empty.. I couldn't find hide nor hair of his  
car.. Yes, sir.. I intend to find out.. But wether or not he  
even  
remembers it is another question. Like I said. He was  
dead drunk.... I know he doesn't drink.. But he was  
definitely drinking last night. I figure I can find out what  
happened  
by calling a few bars. Work out where he was and  
work back from that point."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "Here, drink this,  
it'll make you feel better."  
        "No  
it won't," Ray said, but took the glass and  
sculled down the  
offered liquid relief anyway.  
        "You gonna start  
talking or what? Personally. I think  
we should be heading for the  
hospital to get samples so we  
can bust the guy that raped you.."  
        Ray looked up fast, then  
groaned and held his head.  
        "That's  
right. I know you got raped."  
        Ray  
shook his head.  
        "Then  
it happened after you got drunk."  
        "Noo..  
Wasn't rape.. I consented to it."  
        "Gordon."  
        Ray nodded. Huey  
ripped out his phone.  
        "Don't  
worry.. Benni wasn't there.. And I got rid of  
Gordon afterwoulds."  
        "*How*?"  
        "Took him to the  
airport.. Got him a ticket outta the  
country. One of my relatives  
is gonna meet him, with a false  
passport.. And put him on another  
plane to another country.  
With 10,000 bucks in his pocket. He'll  
be met and they'll  
help him set up a new life for himself."  
        "He *raped* you  
and then you did that?!"  
        "I  
told you it wasn't rape."  
        "Crap.  
That doesn't happen when it's consensual sex  
between two gay man."  
        "I ain't gay."  
        "And you *consented*  
to being the sub with Gordon. I  
don't think so. You have bruises  
among other things."  
        "I didn't get em  
the way you think. I always knew he  
had the hots for me.. The  
only way.. I could get the  
information I needed to find out who killed my partner was  
too.. let him make love to me.. That was the price for his  
information.. That's why I always took Goldie to a motel..  
And picked it myself.. So there wouldn't be no pictures  
popping up."  
        "You never subbed  
for him?"  
        Ray  
shook his head.  
        "That  
was the deal.. I'd only go so far with him.. And  
that wasn't part  
of the deal.. I wouldn't even do it to him,  
till last night. He  
told me he had some information.. And I  
don't get my tip till he  
gets what he wants.. So I got rid  
of Fraser.. and made out with him.. and along the way he got  
his  
hands on my gun.."  
        "So it was rape  
he threatened to shoot you if you  
didn't sub for him."  
        "No.. He was gonna  
shoot me because they knew.. About  
Goldie tipping us off.. It was  
a set up.. Everyone on the  
patch had orders to tip me off if I came their way. Or to  
let Goldie handle it if you came along.. One way or another  
they  
were gonna get their hands on me."  
        "What?!"  
        "If it was one of  
the woman who got me.. They woulda  
given me a Mickey Finn, and  
I'd have woke up in the Rooks  
base.. Where they'd keep me alive.. for weeks.. to torture  
me.. Then they were gonna brick me up in a wall at that  
apartment on Diabolo Street to die. Wait till you came  
sniffing around and get one of em to tip you off and let you  
find  
my corpse.. and a sniper would be watching and waiting  
for you  
to call it in.. Then blow your brain's out."  
        Huey sank down on the  
bed beside Ray.  
        "And  
a reporter would get a tip off about a big story  
and told to take  
a camera to the place to get pictures to  
splash over the paper. And the whole world would know that  
no cop gets away with taking down one of the Rooks king  
pins."  
        "Oh god."  
        "Edorado planned  
the whole thing in his cell.. The  
last person he saw was a priest..  
But this priest is one of  
them.. He passed Edorado's last orders  
onto them in a big  
meeting, that's where Goldie found out about it. When Goldie  
told  
me the whole damned story.. I decided it was worth the  
price I  
paid..."  
        Then he shifted around.  
        "Till he got  
stuck into me. God.. That hurt."  
        "You  
could hardly have picked a worse person to do it  
with the first  
time.."  
        "It wasn't just  
because he's built.. God.. Once I told  
him I'd do whatever he wanted  
me to in bed.. He was all over  
me.. All I wanted.. was for it to  
be over fast.. and it  
was.. the first time.. He was just so excited about finally  
getting  
me where and how he wanted me.. It was over almost  
before it began.. But then.. He wanted me to do it to him..  
And  
got me off.. and he got off on that.. and god.. It took  
forever  
for him to cum second time around.. and he was  
just.. "  
        Huey pulled him into  
his arms rocking and stroking him  
while Ray broke down.  
        "How can you do  
that for pleasure," Ray virtually  
wailed.  
        "Under the right  
circumstances. With the right person,  
you wouldn't ask that question.."  
        "It hurt.. God..  
How it hurt."  
        "Shhh..  
It's over now.. And he's gone.. He'll never be  
back and it won't  
happen again. Put it out of your mind and  
tell me what the plan  
was supposed to be if I was the one  
who got to Goldie first?"  
        Ray pulled himself together  
but didn't pull away.  
        "What  
happened is what they expected.. To a degree..  
They expected me  
to get Goldie out of town.. he was  
supposed to do what he did.. With a difference.. He was  
supposed to cuff me to the bed, and call them to come and  
get me from wherever we ended up.. and everything else would  
be  
the same from that point on."  
        "And you talked  
him out of it."  
        "He  
was gonna shoot me.. Give me a quick death. Till I  
told him I could  
get him outta the country to make a new  
life.. I could see he was interested.. I never had to talk  
so fast in my life.. Then I had to start making calls.. And  
I couldn't  
through to some of them.. all I could do was  
leave messages for them to call me back.. But he was sure I  
couldn't  
do it and he cocked the gun again.. "  
        "That's when you  
suggested sex."  
        "It  
was the only thing I could think of. I needed time  
for them to  
get my message and call back to pull it off. I  
told him if he gave me the time and put the gun down I'd do  
what  
he wanted me to do in bed. He thought about it, then  
tossed the gun and said it was a deal."  
        "And after you got  
rid of him.. You went and got good  
and drunk, to try and dull the  
pain."  
        "It doesn't hurt  
no more.. Why?"  
        "I..  
called a discrete doctor.. Who took care of  
things and told me  
to be more careful next time."  
        Ray blushed.  
        "Well  
it was either that or take you to the  
hospital."  
        "Noo.. That's why  
I came here.. He told me.. You were  
gay.. After I had enough booze  
to dull the pain.. I  
figured.. you'd know what to do.."  
        "You didn't drive  
out here?"  
        "No.  
I walked."  
        "Where's  
all your stuff?"  
        "I  
got mugged. Punk made me empty my pockets, grabbed  
everything and  
ran off."  
        "Your gun?"  
        "Back at Fraser's..  
With my cuffs..I left it in his  
bathroom.. Didn' want Goldie changing  
his mind on the way to  
the airport."  
        "Passport?"  
        "Frannie's..  
A bit of make up a little dye for the  
hair, a wig in the right  
hair style and he looks just like  
her in her passport photo. They ain't gonna find out what I  
did  
with Gordon. I made damn sure of it."  
        "How'd you pay for  
it?"  
        "With  
that big fat bonus I got for going  
undercover," he said with  
a little sigh, "I was saving it  
up.. A few more weeks and  
I would have had enough to buy ma  
a brand new car to get around  
in. But what the hell, I'm  
sure she'd rather have me alive and well, than a brand new  
car."  
        "When you're feeling  
better we'll go cruise a few car  
yards - get her a good second  
hand one instead."  
        "You paying?"  


  | "You'll take it out of my hide if I don't." |   
---|---|---  
  
        "Damn right."  
        "Where'd you  
leave the Riv?"  
        "Back  
at the bar.. They took my keys."  
        Huey  
got all the details and told him to sleep the hang  
over off and  
went out to fetch the Riv. It took flashing his  
badge to get the  
barkeep to hand over the keys. When he got  
home, Ray was dead to  
the world, snoring in his bed. Huey  
tucked the blankets around him, got a barely comprehensible,  
don't  
cluck, ma, for it and left him to sleep it off.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "Mhhm. Whatever  
that is, it smells good."  
        Huey  
looked around to see Ray leaning in the door way,  
dressed only  
in his draw string pants. He look much better  
than he had that morning.  
        "You're looking  
better. Feel up to eating?"  
        "Yeah..  
I could smell that in the bedroom. It made my  
stomach growl at  
me."  
        Huey gave a faint smile  
and went back to his cooking.  
Ray looked around then walked over  
to the island bench and  
sat gingerly on a stool.  
        "It's starting to  
hurt again."  
        "Yeah..  
Well there are a few things you have to do for  
a few days. I'll  
cover that with you before you leave."  
        "Can  
I stay here for a few days?"  
        Huey  
looked around at him.  
        "I  
don't want no one asking questions.. I'd stay with  
Benni.. only..  
that's where it happened.. 'side's which, you  
live alone, and we  
can watch each other's back's till we see  
which way the Rooks'll  
jump next."  
        "You can sleep on  
the couch, it's a fold out futon,"  
Huey said, then returned  
his attention to the food, tasting  
it.  
        Ray picked the paper  
on the bench up and looked over  
the front page while Huey added  
a little something more to  
his culinary creation.  
        "I see your case  
made the front page."  
        "We  
were going to keep it quiet. Especially seeing as  
how two of the  
remains were positively I-deed as being cops  
who went missing at  
that time."  
        "Say's here, Mackenzie  
got this scoop."  
        "It  
was leaked to her.. We were only able to I.D a  
dozen of the bodies.  
We're hoping someone will come out of  
the wood work to identify the rest."  
        "I only gave you  
8 names."  
        "Two  
were the cops I mentioned. Their badges were  
there.. That gave  
us a starting point. Welsh say's Dental  
records positively I-Deed them.. The other two I I-deed by  
the rooks with their bodies. But the rest were numbers I  
didn't know. Whoever they were.. They were initiated after I  
got  
out."  
        The paper snapped down.  
        "You *were*  
initiated into the Rooks."  
        Huey  
bashed his head against the cupboard for letting  
that slip out.  
        "I thought you knew  
all that stuff about them cause of  
Fordam."  
        Huey bashed his head  
again, then gave it up and bustled  
around the kitchen making preparations.  
        "Hey.. I ain't gonna  
tell anyone.. That'd get you  
thrown off the force. Once a Rook  
always a Rook, they'll  
say."  
        "And if they find  
out you know and didn't mention it,  
you'd go down if it got out."  
        "I'm amazed it hasn't."  
        "It did once..  
But they just ignored the claims of  
the informant and assumed it  
was the Rooks trying to take me  
down for helping Vince all those  
years ago."  
        "Well I won't tell  
em that snitch was right."  
        "And  
I won't tell anyone about Goldie."  
        "Now  
that's all settled.. Tell all."  
        "I  
was the sort of kid they recruit. Good Family,  
brain's.. the looks..  
someone no one would ever think would  
be in their organisation..  
They found out I was gay and had  
their lever.. They sent the best  
looking guy I ever saw  
after me.."  
        "And you took the  
bait."  
        "Hook  
line and bloody sinker.. You do crazy things  
when you're that age  
and in love. They got me good. Photo's  
the works.. I did what I  
was told.. And Fordam busted me.  
And the first thing he said was, why's a smart kid like you  
doing  
something so dumb. Then he patted me down and found my  
rook and  
dragged me in to interrogate me till I broke down  
and told him everything."  
        "How'd you ever  
get out of that mess?"  
        "It  
wasn't easy.. There was another guy they  
recruited.. At the same  
time.. Hiram Westbourne.. He was my  
best friend. Dead straight..  
A brain like a steel trap and  
the sweetest personality.. We were sort of.. security for  
each other.. If one of us took off, they'd take down the  
other.."  
        "So you had to get  
him out at the same time."  
        "Vince  
pulled out his coin, said heads I let you go,  
tail's I toss you  
in a cell.. It was a double header.. He  
knew.. I told him about Hiram. Then he told me exactly what  
they'd  
do with me sooner or later.. Told me to take the heat  
from my parents,  
and get out before it happened. I went back  
for Hiram.. But they  
busted us.. That was the day I was  
fully initiated.. They killed some guy who messed up one of  
their  
whores. But they never just *kill* someone.. And if  
Edorado told you how he killed his victims, you've got a  
fair idea of how the average Rook hit goes down. And if the  
kid  
their initiating say's no.. They hold a gun to his head..  
if that  
doesn't work.. They use it."  
        "They shot Hiram."  
        "No... We did  
what we were told.. And they kept their  
eye on us .. kept us in  
the heart land.. Devil's triangle..  
Put me and Hiram into a team  
with Guy called Giordi.. They  
got him the same way they got me.. With the same guy. Giordi  
could  
forge anything.. And pick any lock.. And he did other  
things..  
He had the mindset for it. It was all just a big  
adventure to him. He was their golden boy.. Between him and  
Peter,  
the Knight in charge of our team, they invented a  
whole new identity for me.. Cause I got busted by Vince..  
and first time out.. Hiram and I split.. Went to Vince.. And  
went  
down for it. I went down for it under my new identity.  
The judge  
went easy on us, cause Vince put in the good word  
for us. Told  
him there were mitigating circumstances.. We  
got let off light.. I spent a year in a reformatory.. And  
swore I'd never go back.. "  
        Ray made a come here  
gesture. Huey approached, and Ray  
kept signalling him closer till  
he was at the bench. Then  
Ray struck, grabbing his shirt pulling him over the bench  
and *very* thoroughly kissed him. Then he pushed Huey away.  
Huey  
looked at him dazedly and touched his lips.  
        "What was that for?"  
        "Making me  
feel better about what I did. You just do  
it with out thinking..  
Saying the right things."          
        "Oh. Well..  
I'm glad I said the right things to make  
you feel better.. but  
next time you want to say it - *Say  
it* with your voice instead. Huh.. I'm only human. You kiss  
me  
like that again and I'm gonna jump your bones."  
        Ray just looked at him.  
Huey back stepped. He didn't  
want to know what was going through  
Ray's head. The  
expression's flitting over his face made the ache in his  
groin that kiss had left him with worse. The way Ray's eyes  
ran  
over him, mentally stripping him, made Huey realise that  
Ray was  
actually considering the idea.  
        "You're not my type."  
        Ray gave him a very  
weak smile and a nod. Sipping his  
coffee he looked away embarrassed.  
Huey had read his mind  
and rejected the idea totally, but without denting his ego  
or busting his nose while he was at it.  
        "So how'd you end  
up a cop?"  
        "Who'd  
you think was waiting outside the gates when  
they cut me loose?"  
        "Fordam."  
        "He said, I know  
who you are Jack Huey. You don't have  
a record. I made sure of  
that. Your parents think you  
vanished cause of the photo's.. You gotta second chance,  
what are going to do with it."  
        "So your parents  
got the pictures."  
        "Oh  
yeah.. Within hours of our making a break for  
it," He gave  
a faint laugh, "My mother says my father just  
stared at one  
particular photo and all he ever said was..  
God Damn that boy's gorgeous."  
        "It was Gordon,  
wasn't it."  
        Huey  
nodded.  
        "I  
don't know why I never worked out he and Goldie  
were one and the  
same."  
        "He's been taking  
hormones.. There's nothing fake  
about those breasts. You looked  
at her you saw a woman, not  
a guy."  
        "That must be pretty  
strange.."  
        "In  
some ways it made things easier."  
        "After  
they inducted us.. Peter used to clip me and  
Giordi around the  
ear and tell us to stop pining after  
Gordon, cause we wouldn't get anywhere with him, because he  
was  
hot for some guy from your part of town."  
        "Probably me.. He  
started hitting on me after I lost  
my puppy fat. I never even had  
to touch that guy to get him  
hard.. Just watching me take my clothes  
off and knowing I'd  
let him touch me up was enough to do it."  
        "I'm amazed it took  
so long for him to get a piece of  
you."  
        "He had it bad.  
You did crazy things for him. He  
controlled himself for me.. Probably  
working under the  
assumption that sooner or later I'd let him take it to the  
line...and that would be when I became his guy. I think he  
decided to get the Op just so it would happen. That's how  
bad he had it for me."  
        "He didn't just..  
jump you when you said you'd do what  
he wanted did he?"  
        Ray shook his head.  
        "Like I said.. It  
wasn't the first time.. It was the  
second.. The first time.. he  
was all over me.. Telling me  
how good it was going be.."  
        Huey set a cup of coffee  
before him.  
        "So  
he didn't hurt you the first time."  
        "No."  
        He took the coffee  
and sipped at it, and looked into  
the cup, knowing Huey wanted  
details.  
        "He said he'd make  
it good.. He did.. He used  
something.. He didn't use it the second  
time.."  
        "So you liked what  
he did the first time?"  
        "Huey."  
        "You let that  
guy get you involved in heavy petting  
for I don't know how long..  
You and Fraser are so tight.."  
        "We're  
just friends."  
        "Yeah..  
so.. that doesn't mean you have to stay just  
friends."  
        Ray just stared at him.  
And a mental image of Fraser  
popped into his head. The Mountie  
naked, his body flushed  
with desire, drawing him into his arms, kissing him, their  
bodies moving together the way his used to move with  
Gordon's, the way that felt so good, not the other way. Just  
the  
very idea of it made him go hard.  
        "Just a thought."  
        The image of Fraser  
shattered and he had an image of  
Fraser kneeing him in the nuts  
and punching him in the face  
for coming on to him.  
        "No way no how."  
        "Why because  
he's so straight you could rule a line  
with him?"  
        "For starters."  
        "I was straight..  
till someone showed me the other  
side. Someone I was in as tight  
with as you and Fraser  
are."  
        "Hiram?"  
        "No.. I told you.  
He was dead straight. It was another  
guy.. We had a mutual drool  
fest over Hiram. Dumped each  
other at the same time to go after him."  
        Ray chuckled at him.  
        "I courted  
him for ages.. And then my ex went in for  
the kill.. and who do  
you think Hiram comes to, to complain  
about it too."  
        Ray laughed.  
        "That  
stopped me from ever putting the moves on him."  
        "You  
said your father never said anything about the  
pictures.. You're  
parents are O.K with it?"  
        "They wouldn't talk  
to me for years. I tried going  
straight.. For the longest time..  
What happened put me off  
following my inclinations.. Becoming a cop and getting my  
name in the paper and people telling them about seeing me  
with this woman or that woman made them come around. Then  
after Louis died.. My mother came around one day and gave me  
all  
this literature.. Lectured me about taking care of myself  
and told  
me to stop pretending I'm something I'm not and  
find my self a good man to settle down with."  
        "So now you don't  
pretend."  
        "I  
told Dewey the other day. He was going on about you  
and Fraser..  
I shut him up by telling him I was gay."  
        "I bet his face  
was classic."  
        "All  
he said was, you could have told me that  
sooner."  
        Ray laughed.  
        "But  
I couldn't do that.. He had to see he was safe  
around me so he  
wouldn't get nervous about it."  
        "You seeing anyone?"  
        "No.. My mother  
introduced me to this *lovely* young  
man she met. He's just your  
type, she say's. She was right.  
But he only thought dating a cop  
was cool till he picked the  
wrong day to surprise me by dropping  
into the precinct."  
        "The  
day that punk almost killed me."  
        Huey  
nodded.  
        "Within  
a week of that it was over.. He said he  
couldn't handle it if something  
like that happened to me and  
packed his bags."  
        "Long curly hair,  
Hugo boss suit.. Looked like he  
could have been a male model."  
        "That was him."  
        "Cute guy.  
"  
        "I always  
thought so," Huey said with a smile, "So  
did the Modeling  
agency he worked for."  
        Ray laughed and picked  
up his cup again.  
        "Well  
if that's the kind of guy who does it for you,  
Dewey's got nothing  
to worry about, has he."  
        Huey stared at him, then  
grinned.  
        "I  
never even thought of that. Thanks.. I'll show him  
a picture of  
Tim tomorrow."  
        Ray toasted him with  
his cup in acknowledgment and  
sipped his coffee while Huey served  
up dinner. While Huey's  
back was turned, Ray put the cup down and  
bolted. The raging  
hard on the idea of being with Fraser had given  
him hadn't  
gone away and he wasn't going to let Huey catch him with a  
hard on.  
        "Ray??" He  
heard Huey call out.  
        Ray  
made it to the bathroom in time.  
        "Nature  
calls."  
        "Oh."  
        Ray locked the door  
and then sat down on the toilet  
intend to take care of that hard  
on with a very pleasant  
little fantasy. But then he jumped up again as pain lanced  
up his spine. Damn would the pain never go away. Then he  
looked down at him self.  
        -Oh well, that takes  
care of that-  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
          
        Ray was about to settle  
down for the night on the Futon  
when there was a knock on the door.  
He scrambled up and  
crossed the room to see who it was.  
        "See who it is,"  
Huey's voice called out from the  
bathroom as Ray opened the door.  
        The moment the door was  
open, Fraser was in his face,  
and planting hands on his bare chest,  
shoving him back.  
        "Do you know how  
I felt when I got home and you  
weren't there I saw the state of  
that bed. And the blood."  
        "Oh  
god.. Benni.. I'm sorry I didn't think of that.. I  
just wanted  
to get out of there."  
        Huey stepped into the  
room.  
        "Fraser."  
        "I assume you  
took care of him. Lieutenant Welsh told  
me you were investigating  
the *mugging*."  
        "I really was mugged."  
        Fraser looked at  
Ray again.  
        "On  
the way here."  
        "I  
suppose it's a waste of time asking you for my key  
back."  
        "Er.. I got it..  
They took my keys off me at the  
bar."  
        "Bar?! You went  
to a bar and got yourself drunk,  
didn't you?!"  
        Ray gave a little cringe.  
        "Well I hope  
you learned your lesson.. Getting drunk  
doesn't make it better.  
It just left you in a worse position  
than you were already in."  
        Huey moved in took Fraser's  
arm, spun him around and  
pushed him toward the door and shoved  
him out.  
        "Come back when  
you've worked off that temper you  
built up."  
        Then he slammed the door  
as Fraser spun. Ray counted to  
ten.  
        "Open the door,  
Huey. He'll keep it under reign now."  
        Huey  
opened it a fraction and looked out.  
        "Under  
control?"  
        Fraser  
nodded curtly and Huey let him back in. This  
time he came in bearing  
a bag he'd dropped in the hall when  
he'd seen it was Ray at the  
door. He held the bag out.  
        "I went around to  
your place and got you some clean  
things."  
        "Thanks.. Did you.."  
        "I told them  
you were protecting an important witness  
and would be home when  
you no longer had to do so."  
        "Thanks Benni..  
I was trying to work out some  
excuse."  
        "I didn't think  
you'd want to go home and face awkward  
questions. Have you been  
to a doctor?"  
        "He's been seen  
too, Fraser. I took care of that."  
        "And  
that rapist? Did you take care of him too?"  
        Ray  
looked down at the floor.  
        "It  
wasn't rape Benni."  
        Fraser  
stared at him.  
        "That's  
why there's a set of cuff's hanging from one  
of the bed posts,  
which is deeply indented now, and blood  
and semen on the sheets."  
        That made Huey cross  
his arms and look at Ray with a  
look to match Fraser's. Ray squirmed.  
        "Er.. He did use  
the cuffs on me at one point... When  
he wanted to leave the room  
and make sure I didn't pull a  
vanishing trick on him."  
        "There was a *lot*  
of blood on that bed. Don't tell me  
that it was consensual."          
        "He just got  
carried away and forget about being  
careful."  
        Fraser stared at him.  
        "It happens  
Fraser," Huey said, attracting a glare  
from Fraser.  
        "Usually to newbies.  
Like Ray, who don't know what to  
do. It doesn't mean it's rape.  
It just means they don't know  
how to handle an over excited partner..  
And he already has a  
rather painful reminder that he got in way  
over his head, he  
can't sit or go to the toilet without pain, isn't  
that  
enough? Or do you need to rub in it his face a little  
more?"  
        Fraser reared back then  
had the grace to look  
apologetic before he studied Huey with a  
thoughtful look,  
and then turned to Ray. Reaching out he laid a hand on Ray's  
arm.  
        "Apart from the  
obvious.. he didn't hurt you, did  
he?"  
        "No. It was just  
like I said.. He's been after me a  
long time.. And like Huey said..  
I didn't know how to handle  
it when he got excited. Huey took care  
of everything.. He  
knows a discrete doctor who took care of me."  
        "Good.. I can see  
you were probably about to go to  
bed."  
        "Yeah, I was."  
        "Then I'll  
leave you to get your rest.. You know where  
to find me.."  
        With that he walked out  
and Huey locked up behind him.  
Ray watched him turn off the lights  
and head off for the  
bedroom.  
        "Jack."  
        Huey stopped in the doorway.  
        "What you said  
to Fraser.."  
        "What  
about it?"  
        "Thanks."  
        "It was the  
truth.. I doubt you'd know the secret to  
stopping a guy who's totally  
lost it in the sack."  
        "I tried."  
        Huey leaned on the  
door frame and watched Ray sink down  
onto his knee's on the futon  
with a wince. Huey was  
sympathetic to his pain. It was one experience had made him  
familiar  
with.  
        Ray looked at nothing,  
remembering how it had been,  
remembering Gordon sliding over his  
body telling him how  
beautiful he was, touching him again. It did turn him on,  
knowing he had that much power over Gordon. His legs being  
parted, waiting for him to do what he'd done the first time,  
the  
wonderful feelings that had accompanied being touched in  
that way,  
before Gordon had slid into him, filling him in a  
way that was  
both familiar and alien and thrusting in and  
out, then back in hard, trembling over him as he came. He  
expected the same thing, it wasn't what he got, there was no  
preparation,  
no pleasurable touching, just the pain and  
shock when Gordon had thrust into him, hard and deep driving  
him  
self deep into his body.  
        Ray shuddered, the remembered  
pain echoed in his body.  
He'd screamed then, and Gordon had quickly  
covered his mouth  
and did it again, making his body arch and Ray  
felt  
something tear and a new pain exploded on his senses, for  
the first time since he'd chosen that path he'd felt fear.  
        "I fought him."  
        He was lying on  
his back, the other man straddling him  
on hands an knees ramming  
into him, fucking him hard, one  
hand over his mouth, the other holding him up, Ray's feet  
slid on the slick sheets trying to push away from that hard  
organ  
to end it, he tried to shove him off, then Gordon  
reared up, grabbed his thighs, and started withdrawing. Ray  
had  
started to relax thinking he'd gotten the message and it  
was over,  
that wasn't the end that was the beginning of his  
complete and  
utter subjugation.  
        He thrust back with such  
force Ray screamed his whole  
body arching off the bed. His neck  
arched too as he  
screamed, and Gordon's hands moved, one pushing his head  
back further while he made tiny little thrusts which  
increased the pain. It paralysed him long enough for Gordon  
to  
use the cuffs still on the bed head to cuff his hands.  
        "But it didn't stop  
him.. If anything.. It just seemed  
to excite him more."  
        He tried to push away  
with his feet, his body thrashed  
around on the bed. But Gordon  
didn't stop. He just covered  
his mouth.  
        :You're mine, all mine,  
no man has ever had you the way  
I've had you and after me, no man  
ever will:  
        "Some men are like  
that."  
        :Stop  
fighting me, and screaming, Ray or I'll gag you,  
and when I'm through  
with you.. I'll have your little stud  
too. And make you watch.:  
        The threat worked he  
stopped fighting and his throat  
ached from the effort of fighting  
the urge to scream. Then  
that hand fell away.  
        :Please stop, ohgodnoyourhurtingmegoldieyourhurtingme  
pleasestoppleasestop:  
        His face was slapped.  
        :Shut up:  
        Crying whimpering and  
groaning with pain.  
        :You're  
mine, say it:  
        He  
felt arms wrap around him. Felt himself being drawn  
against a solid  
male chest, smelt Huey's after shave. He was  
being rocked, gently  
stroked and clucked over.  
        "He said he'd do  
it to Fraser if I didn't stop  
f..fighting him." Ray said his  
voice breaking before he  
broke down and hugged Huey back.  
        He was drawn down to  
the bed and held, being stroked,  
and soothed till he cried himself  
to sleep.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey was in pain, it  
was the sort of pain he was  
familiar with a dull ache in groin  
that came from being  
aroused and not being able to do a thing about it. It was  
Ray who left him in that state, Ray snuggled up next to him  
on  
the futon, hugging him in a death grip as he slept.  
        The feel of that lithe  
body, so much like Timothy's.  
He'd forgotten how good it felt to  
sleep with someone at his  
side. It didn't help that Ray was nuzzling  
at him in his  
sleep and humping his leg. Then Ray shifted.  
        -Ohgod-  
        That beautiful body was  
sliding over his, moving over  
him, those lips were at his throat.  
He arched it and bit  
down hard on his lip to bite back the cry of pleasure.  
        Then that nose was nuzzling  
at his ear, gentle teeth  
nipping at it and his hot breath, his  
hands, oh god his  
hands were starting to roam.  
        Then he heard Ray speaking  
in husky Italian. He didn't  
understand what he was saying but he  
did understand  
something he said.  
        "Benni."  
        -Ohgod, he's dreaming  
about Fraser. I *knew* it-  
        Another  
babble of Italian in his ear, then Ray was  
sliding over his body  
again, worshiping it with his hands  
and mouth.  
        -Sweet lord in Heaven.  
I don't care if he's making love  
to Fraser in his mind.. Please  
don't wake up on me now..  
Ohhhh yes.. that's the way.. a little lower..Yesssss!-          
        He clawed at the  
sheets to keep himself from touching  
Ray and rousing him from his  
dream. As far as he was  
concerned this was a dream come true. Timothy was good in  
bed, but Ray.  
        -Oh sweet lord-  
        Ray was making his body  
sing in a way it had never sung  
before. Teaching him things about  
making love that he hadn't  
dreamed of even his wildest fantasy's.  
He'd never looked  
twice at the lithe Italian. Well that was a lie. He'd  
checked out his body once in the showers and found it very  
pleasing indeed, and decide to skip taking a shower himself  
that  
day. He didn't want to think about his abrasive and  
cynical colleague that way.  
        But oh lord he'd never  
be able to look at Ray the same  
way again without thinking about  
this night, this moment.  
        Hands sliding over his  
thighs.  
        -Please,  
please, please, please, GOD YES!-  
        He  
wrapped his legs around Ray, and couldn't contain  
the low animal  
growl of pleasure as Ray's sex filled him,  
not thrusting, sliding, slowly ever so slowly, till he felt  
it  
buried deep and throbbing to the beat of Ray's heart  
inside him, Ray's balls against his butt.  
        "You like that,  
don't ya Benni."  
        "Uh-Hu,"  
Huey moaned.  
        Ray  
began moving over him, inside him, that lithe body  
moving over  
him, hands and mouth working over his body as  
his hips moved, falling into an exquisite rhythm Huey's body  
began  
to move in counter-rhythm too.  
        -Don't stop, Oh sweet  
lord, Don't stop.-  
        Those  
hands fell away, that body tensed over his and  
Ray's mouth ravaged  
his throat and shoulders.  
        -Oh lord.. I've died  
and gone to heaven-  
        What  
control, he couldn't believe it, the last time he'd been with a lover  
that considerate was the very first time his first lover had made love  
to  
him and introduced him to the pleasure's of being the sub for  
a change. The  
tension in Ray's body grew and his head rose. Huey  
looked up and saw his  
face, that was it. His head went back and he  
let out a cry of ecstasy, his  
body rising as the most mind blowing  
orgasm of his life racked his body.  
        When  
he came back to himself Ray was lying snuggled up  
at his side,  
an arm draped around him, a look of pure  
contentment and bliss on his face.  
        -Oh, yeah, you're as  
Gay as they come, Vecchio. You  
just haven't worked it out yet.  
I envy Fraser when you do  
and do something about it.-  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey slipped away when  
Ray slipped into the deep sleep  
of the thoroughly satiated. He  
had a hard time not falling  
into it himself. With shaky legs he walked away and got  
himself to the bathroom for a quick shower. It woke him up  
just enough to creep back to the lounge with the bath sponge  
and  
a towel.  
        He gave Ray a body bath  
and Ray stretched and moved  
around making pleased little noises.  
Huey rolled his eyes  
and completed his task and towelled Ray off. Task complete he  
pulled  
the sheets up and covered Ray, the quilt was gently  
drawn up and tucked around him, and he leaned over Ray to  
press a soft kiss to his ear.  
        "Sweet dreams."  
        Ray murmured something  
imcomprehensible and snuggled  
down deeper in the blankets.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        When Ray tapped on his  
door, Huey poked his head over  
the blankets.  
        "What?"  
        "I.. er..need your  
help again."  
        Huey  
sighed and threw the blankets aside. Then he  
remembered he was  
naked. He rose at the same time as Ray  
opened the door and looked into the room.  
        "I.."  
        Then his eyes widened.  
Huey ripped the quilt off the  
bed and covered himself.  
        -A great time to be caught  
with a morning erection-  
        He  
watched Ray gulp then retreat. After hastily  
dressing, Huey went  
in search of him and found him leaning  
against the wall in the bathroom, trembling and pale. The  
things the doctor had left behind lay on the vanity unit.  
        -So that's what he was  
talking about-  
        He  
looked up again and watched Ray's pale face turn  
red.  
        "Alright, Ray lets  
clear the air here.. You *were*  
raped. The moment you started fighting  
and said the word  
stop that's what it was. I am not about to touch you that  
way against your will."  
        -You can touch me all  
you like, anytime, anywhere,  
anyway-  
        "O.k. You got that  
into your head yet?"  
        Ray  
nodded slowly.  
        "You  
want me to take care of it for you?"  
        Ray  
held up his hands. They were trembling and shaking  
like the hands  
of a elderly man with severe arthritis.  
        "Uh-hu. O.K.. uh..drop  
your pants, then assume the  
position."  
        Ray did that and winced,  
shuddered and hissed through  
clenched teeth as Huey took care of  
things. When it was all  
over, Huey pulled his pants up and stepped  
back.  
        "All done. The pain  
will go away soon."  
        Ray  
remained facing the wall, his body flushed red.  
        "I  
can't go back to work like this.. I'm a wreck."  
        "Don't  
worry.. I'll take care of it.. Are you O.K to  
be by yourself?"  
        Ray wrapped arms around  
himself, remembering how angry  
Fraser had been, imagining how he'd  
have felt if it was his  
life less body with a bullet in his head  
he'd found in that  
bed instead. It chilled him to the bone how  
much he wished  
that he had been killed. And he shook his head.  
        "Do you want me  
to see if Fraser..."  
        "No!"  
        He felt something  
soft and fluffy draped around his  
shoulders and looked down to  
see a towelling robe. He pulled  
it on and tied it off, then Huey  
was leading him out of the  
bathroom.  
        "O.k.. we're gonna  
take a drive.. I'm going to take  
you to see a friend of mine. She's  
a counsellor.. Don't  
worry we can keep it off official records.. You don't have to  
say  
anything just listen to her. O.K.. She's been there..  
She knows what she's talking about."  
        Ray nodded.  
        "Let's see if there's  
anything in my wardrobe that  
will fit you. Maybe you'll get lucky  
and something of Tim's  
got mixed up with my stuff. You're about  
the same size."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
          
        Dewey walked into Welsh's  
office as Huey completed  
giving him a report on the story Ray had  
gotten out of  
Gordon at such a high price.  
        "What's up with  
Vecchio? He looks like he saw a ghost,  
and he's shaking like a  
leaf in your car. I waved my hand in  
his face and he didn't even  
react."  
        "A sniper blew his  
best snitches brains out right in  
front of him."  
        Dewey and Welsh both  
shuddered.  
        "That's  
why he got drunk, sir. He hit the dirt and  
crawled out of there,  
and the sniper took a few shots at  
him. He barely got out of there alive. The sniper got away..  
And  
they got the body before he got back."  
        -Now no one will ask  
what happened to Goldie. Not that  
that bastard deserves the break  
Ray gave him.-  
        "He's a wreck now  
reaction has well and truly set in.  
I was going to take him to  
a counsellor.. With your  
permission.."  
        Welsh nodded.  
        "What's  
the number of the consul.."  
        "Er..  
It's not a good time to try. He and Fraser had  
a.. fight and I  
don't think Vecchio wants to see him.. I was  
going to call him..  
but Ray said no. And I know he doesn't  
want to go home right now. He's probably worried about  
leading the Rooks to his nest. And Dewey can handle the case  
on  
his own. It's not like we're going to catch the guy who  
killed all those people in the Graveyard. Ray already  
identified their killer. Edorado."  
        "What?!" Dewey  
and Welsh chorused.  
        "Didn't  
I mention that?"  
        "No,"  
They chorused.  
        "You  
just mentioned he gave you a few leads on names,  
you forget to  
mention one of those names was Edorado."  
        "Oh.. Well... He  
told me Edorado told him there were a  
lot more bodies out there  
he hadn't found yet.. And that  
he'd have a *devil* of a time finding them.. He was having  
the last laugh on him.. Giving him a clue to the graveyard  
that went right over Ray's head, a clue he knew Ray would  
remember once his little plan went into action.. That's how  
he  
was able to identify some of the victims. Edorado admitted  
to killing  
them, and even told him *how*. He had nothing to  
loose at that  
stage. You can only execute a man once. He  
just wanted to piss Ray off, by bragging about his sadistic  
killings.  
Edorado killed Vincent Fordam too.. admitted it to  
him..told him  
how.. And told Ray they'd kill him that way  
too, for having the audacity to take out their king pin."  
        "And  
would have gotten away with it, if that snitch of  
his hadn't warned  
him about their plan."  
        "Dewey can take  
care of everything from here.. With  
your permission I'll take care  
of Ray."  
        Welsh nodded.  
        "Tell  
him to take as much time as he needs to pull  
himself together."  
        "I'm sure he'll  
appreciate that, sir."  
          


|   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
          
        The visit to the counsellor  
seemed to help. Ray didn't  
fall apart again. He was just subdued,  
which was almost as  
bad as far as Huey was concerned. It took a week, but  
finally Ray answered, "Yeah," to his "Are you O.K to stay  
by yourself?" and  
Huey returned to work.  
        When he returned home  
it was to the fragrant scent of  
Italian cooking, not to mention  
a spotlessly clean  
apartment. The dining table was set and Ray told him dinner  
would  
be served by the time he cleaned up. Huey returned to  
find the  
meal on the table and Ray sitting down, hands  
steepled, head resting on his hands.  
        Sitting quietly Huey  
looked his table over. Ray  
certainly hadn't done things by halves,  
there was a three  
course meal on offer, with Garlic bread and juice. He looked  
and  
found Ray watching him.  
        "Sorry, there's  
no wine.. I don't trust myself right  
now.."  
        "That's ok,"  
Huey said tasting the juice and smiled,  
"It's my favourite  
anyway."  
        "I figured you go  
to that little corner shop a lot and  
asked them what you buy. I  
uh.. did the shopping too.. I  
went through your garbage to work out what you usually  
get."  
        -Ah, at last *Detective*  
Vecchio's coming back-  
        "So  
do you feel ready to return to work or..?"  
        Ray  
shook his head.  
        "I  
went back to see your friend today.. She's good."  
        "That's  
why I took you to her."  
        "Some  
kid playing on the street bumped into me when he  
was running from  
his friend.. When I turned around.. He  
pointed his toy gun at me and I almost went to pieces right  
then  
and there."  
        "That's why you  
went back to see her."  
        "You  
told her about the Rooks."  
        "Vince  
sent me to her.. I used to have nightmares..  
About what I had to  
do to survive... She helped me channel  
everything .. Helping Vince try to bust up that gang helped  
a lot."  
        "I don't think I  
can handle working on any cases that  
involve sexual assault.. and  
I've got three on my desk."  
        "I'll  
take over them for you and see what I can do to  
make sure you don't  
get any more landing on your desk till  
you can handle that again."  
        "You can't do that  
without telling them what  
happened."  
        "I'll get a letter  
from her telling Welsh to keep you  
away from *any* violent crimes  
for a while. You'll end up  
with all the boring B&E's and public relation's jobs  
probably be stuck behind a desk for a few weeks, but it'll  
give you a chance to ease back into things."  


  | "That I could handle." |   
---|---|---  
  
        "Well I'll talk  
to him about it in the morning."  
        "I  
was.. wondering.. after dinner, unless you got  
plans.. could you  
drive me around to the church?"  
        "Sure, there's nothing  
on TV worth staying in for  
any way."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey stood in the shadow's  
of the entrance watching  
the doors of the confessional open and  
the priest leading  
Ray away. He almost went after them, but squelched his  
impulse to do so. He had to stop treating Ray like a Mother  
hen  
treats a chick. Ray wasn't going to come out of his funk  
unless  
he came out of his shell on his own.  
        He didn't regret it,  
after over an hour Ray came out  
into the church proper and lit  
a candle, said a quite prayer  
and rejoined him. To Huey he looked  
like he'd found his  
peace.  
        "O.K?"  
        Ray nodded and Huey followed  
him out.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey returned to another  
three course feast the next  
night, and announced he'd talked to  
Welsh who'd announced  
Ray was desk bound till he got his badge back, then passed  
out all the remaining cases on his desk, sharing the load  
out among the whole team.  
        Ray sighed, reminded  
of the fact he'd lost his badge  
when he'd been mugged. He'd been  
too drunk to retain an  
image of the mugger. But he still remembered how it felt.  
        "He issued a statement  
about that."  
        "What?"  
        "Your badge.  
There was a statement issued to the  
press, by the Commissioner,  
about one of his officers being  
mugged while he was suffering post  
traumatic shock. It  
basically said the Mugger knows who he was and that if the  
badge doesn't turn up at some station along with everything  
else  
he got they will turn the city upside down looking for  
him. And  
that the only way to avoid it was to hand it in."  
        "I  
hope it works."  
        "Just  
you wait and see. It'll probably be handed it  
after the papers  
hit the street."  
        "I think I can handle  
going back to work tomorrow."  
        "You  
sure? Welsh said you could take as much time as  
you need."  
        "As long as I can  
hide under all the paperwork he's  
sure to dump on me till I'm sure  
I can handle it if someone  
pulls a gun on me, I can handle going  
back to work."  
        "Fine. You can come  
in with me."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey sat on the couch  
watching a period drama on the  
TV something horribly romantic with  
Ray on the other end of  
the couch. He liked having Ray around,  
cooking and cleaning  
and generally just having someone to come  
home too. The only  
thing that could have made him happier would  
be Ray sliding  
up to snuggle at his side the way Tim always did  
when there  
was something Romantic on TV  
        -Cest la vie-  
        He  
almost had a heart attack and sent his popcorn  
flying everywhere  
when Ray did slide up to him. He just  
barely restrained his reaction and looked down at Ray. The  
next moment his pop corn was on the floor and Ray was in his  
lap  
instead.  
        "Have I said thank-you?  
For taking care of me so  
good?"  
        Huey shook his head dumbly.  
He couldn't have said a  
word if he tried, his heart was in his  
throat. Ray's arms  
went around his neck and then he was being kissed, a soft  
kiss at first, then a little more firm. It was the tongue  
flicking his lip and the "Mmmhmm you taste good," that did  
it for Huey.  
        What followed made him  
thank-god he was alive. He cried  
out in rapture as Ray's mouth  
brought him to that point, and  
drifted in post coital bliss for  
a while. When he looked  
around, Ray was back up the other end of the couch,  
apparently quite engrossed in the movie, his hand wandering  
around  
in his empty bowl of popcorn. Looking down he saw the  
popcorn bowel  
in his lap, popcorn and all.  
        -Man is my imagination  
running away with me-  
        He  
picked up the bowl and rose.  
        "I  
uh.. Think I'll call it a night."  
        "Night."  
        "Remember you're  
coming in to work tomorrow and don't  
stay up all night."  
        "Uh-hu."  
        -He's engrossed alright-  
        Huey walked out  
turning out the lights as he went.  
After he heard the bedroom door  
close Ray sank back into the  
soft fluffy mattress and thought about  
what he'd done to  
Huey. An almost evil little smile touched his face. He  
hadn't thought he'd be able to clean up all that popcorn in  
time,  
but using his pillow to sweep it all under the couch  
and swapping bowls had been a brain storm. Huey probably  
thought it was just a very pleasant fantasy he'd had while  
his mind was wandering and that was the way Ray wanted it.  
        The talk with the priest  
had helped. He'd never  
expected him to tell him the bible *didn't*  
say anything  
about Homosexuality being a sin. The reading in the Vestry  
later and the chat had helped a lot. He no longer felt  
guilty about the fact he took pleasure in some of the things  
Gordon  
had done to him.  
        Or his nightly dreams  
about Fraser. Though he hadn't  
been dreaming about Fraser last  
night. It had been Huey last  
night. Maybe it had been set off by  
the fact he'd been lying  
on the bed, awake and restless unable  
to sleep when he heard  
Huey moaning and groaning. He'd gone in  
to see if he was  
having a nightmare to see him lying on his big bed, the  
blankets tossed off. He'd been naked and writhing about, and  
it  
wasn't Tim or Timothy's name he'd called out. He'd  
watched utterly captivated, as Huey went through his dream,  
calling  
out his name. It had left him with a pulsing  
erection and he'd almost crawled into that bed to do  
something about it.  
        But Huey would have had  
a heart attack if he'd done  
that so he crawled back under his blankets  
on the futon and  
tried to think about Fraser while he touched himself.  
But  
his stubborn mind kept replaying vision's of Huey's dark  
skin against those crisp white sheets.  
        -I'd have more luck with  
Huey than I would Fraser-  
        And  
his body seemed to think that was A.O.K. But dreams  
and fantasy's  
were one thing. Huey never dropped any hints,  
and he had rejected  
his one and only advance when he would  
have made love to him, just to try and drive away the memory  
of  
Gordon. Huey and Gordon couldn't be any more different if  
they  
tried.  
        A smile touched his lips  
as he remembered how Huey  
reacted to having his lips licked. Instant  
hard on. He no  
longer worried about Huey rejecting him. The question was,  
was he ready to do more. He'd timed his move just right.  
Huey had definitely been letting his mind wander when he  
slid up and kissed him.  
        To hell with it he thought.  
He'd let his mind rule. If  
he dreamed about Huey instead of Fraser  
for the next week,  
then Huey was going to get a big surprise.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey sat at the island  
bench pretending to be reading a  
paper while he covertly watched  
Ray bustling around in his  
kitchen. The scent of Italian cooking gave his apartment a  
rather tantalising fragrance.  
        Between dumping one set  
of ingredients into his  
bubbling pasta sauce, and the next, Ray  
made coffee and set  
a cup before Huey. He went back to his cooking,  
sipping his  
own coffee as he worked.  
        Huey folded up the paper  
and just watched him. Ray had  
gone shopping during his lunch break,  
and returned to the  
precinct in a rather nice Hugo Boss suit. It made Huey think  
of  
Tim. He could remember him wearing a suit just like it.  
But Tim was a complete dunce in the kitchen. He'd burn water  
if  
he wasn't watched like a hawk.  
        Ray had shed the coat,  
carefully, and rolled up his  
shirt sleeves before he started cooking.  
Huey's eyes fell to  
Ray's rump when he bent over to check whatever  
it was that  
was cooking in the stove. Huey was admiring the way that  
those Boss pants, that looked like they were tailor made for  
the  
Italian, hugged his buns like a lover. That thought had  
Huey shifting  
uncomfortably on his stool when he felt a  
familiar stirring in his groin. It was getting more familiar  
every  
time Ray bent over in those pants.  
        "You're going home,  
tomorrow."  
        Ray  
carefully closed the stove and looked around.  
        "You  
should have heard what Dewey said about your new  
suit."  
        "This.. It's not  
new."  
        "You  
brought it today."  
        "It  
was a gift.. From your old friend Tim. I tracked  
him down and had  
a chat to him."  
        Huey stared at him.  
        "I knew you were  
going to kick me out any day now. I'd  
feel much better if I knew  
there was someone else here. I  
thought maybe I could convince him to give you a second  
chance."  
        "And..."  
        "How do you feel  
about moving into my place for a  
while?"  
        "Translation, Tim  
said no way, no how."  
        "Basically."  
        "What's with  
the suit?"  
        "He  
called my suit so tacky. And showed me into his  
walk in robe. Clothes  
Horse heaven. That man has so many  
nice clothes."  
        "It comes with the  
territory. He gets free clothes  
when he does modeling assignments,  
it's part of his  
contract."  
        "Yeah he said as  
much, and tossed a bunch of stuff at  
me and told me to try it on  
for size.. Stirred me and said,  
I'd make you feel like I didn't  
trust you by wearing god  
awful suits like the one I was wearing around you."  
        "You always wears  
suits like that."  
        "I  
said, not all of us get $2000 suits thrown at us.  
Then he said,  
try it, if it fits keep it.. It fit.. and I  
ain't turning down a free Boss suit."  
        Huey chuckled at that.  
        "I got so many  
compliments on how I looked today."  
        "It  
does look good on you."  
        Ray  
returned to his cooking.  
        "I  
tried on about a dozen suits and sets before I  
settled on this  
one.. And I was on my way to the car, when I  
heard him call my  
name.. Looked up and this bag dropped down  
from his balcony."  
        "More Boss."  
        "Two more...  
The rest is his Armani collection.. He  
said he never wears Armani  
and it might as well go to  
someone who likes it.. I was trying some of that stuff on..  
Fits  
like it was tailor made for me."  
        "You've got the  
same basic build."  
        "He's  
got a broader chest and shoulders."  
        Huey  
thought about it.  
        "High  
Style.. May issue."  
        "What?"  
        Huey got up and  
walked away. He returned with the  
magazine in question and flipped  
through it, then showed Ray  
a clothing spread.  
        "Yeah.. That's some  
of the stuff he gave me."  
        Huey  
flipped to the next page.  
        "That  
too."  
        Huey  
flipped.  
        "It's  
all there."  
        "Show  
me."  
        Ray pointed  
to every suit he'd received that day.  
        "You're  
gonna be the best dressed guy at the station.  
He gave you a wardrobe  
worth around 5 grand."  
        Ray chuckled and returned  
to the bench to scrape the  
last of his pasta sauces ingredients  
into the sauce.  
        Huey looked at the fashion  
spread his lover had posed  
in studying the fit of the suits.  
        "The Armani suits  
were a little tight around the  
shoulders.. But that only emphasised  
them on him."  
        "I figured he tossed  
them cause they didn't fit  
properly. No one just tosses stuff like  
that."  
        "I went with him  
to one of these shoots. He said, the  
photographer was always hitting  
on him. He stopped when he  
saw me, my badge hanging on my tie."  
        "That'd do it."  
        "There was  
one thing to be said about the way that guy  
drooled over Tim..  
He always took the best shots. I remember  
Tim coming home with  
a pile of pictures that he said they  
*wouldn't* be using in a spread he posed for, because they  
thought he looked *too* hot in them."  
        Ray chuckled.  
        "Their  
excuse was, they wanted to sell the clothes,  
not the model."  
        "I bet there's nothing  
that man doesn't look good in.  
And that he was always telling you  
what to wear."  
        "No."  
        "Really??"  
        "The only thing  
he'd pull out of the wardrobe and ask  
me to wear was my uniform.  
Then he'd toss the coat, tell me  
to leave a button or two open..  
and go looking for my  
cuffs."  
        Ray laughed at that.  
        "I always knew  
he was in the mood if I found the  
uniform waiting in the bathroom  
when I got home."  
        "I used to think  
Angie's uniform was the best thing in  
her wardrobe. But she'd never  
wear it just for me."  
        "Never?"  
        "I think the only  
time I ever saw her in it off duty  
was when we were in the desperately  
trying to save things  
stage.. Instead of taking it off as soon as she got home..  
She kept it on .. Till I pounced.. Something got ripped and  
it  
was the last time she ever did it."  
        Huey gave a faint smile.  
        "I had to replace  
my shirt half a dozen times."  
        Ray  
snickered.  
        "Speaking  
of men in uniform. Seen Fraser?"  
        "Yeah,  
I had to go round to get my gun and cuff's  
back.. He rang me to  
remind me I left them there.. Did I  
mention I got my stuff back? Someone handed it in all  
nicely cleaned and bagged this afternoon. Right on the dead  
line."  
        "That means you  
got your badge back, so you'll be back  
on active duty."  
        "Uh-Hu. Speaking  
of which.. What did you tell Welsh?"  
        Huey  
gave him what in Fraser would be the Wide Eyed  
Mountie Look.  
        "You know what I'm  
talking about. *Everyone* tiptoes  
around me.. I want to faint in  
shock when even Frannie is  
being all sweetness and light, and is there anything you  
need Ray, instead of you've got two feet use them can't you  
see  
I'm busy enough as it is."  
        "I passed on Goldie's  
warning. That probably did the  
trick. I didn't tell him what went  
down, if that's what  
you're worried about."  
        "I wasn't worried  
about that. I just wondered what  
made him take it so calmly."  
        "He knows *something*  
happened. You don't hit the  
bottle that hard unless something bad  
is going down in your  
life. So while I was telling him about the  
tip I thought  
about how to explain it and..the way you were acting, and I  
told  
him a sniper took out Goldie in front of you.. And sent  
you running..  
That they got the body.."  
        "Ah. That explains  
the PTS statement."  
        "And  
everything else."  
        "Good.  
About that offer to cruising the car yards with  
me.."  
        "You want to do  
it?"  
        "How  
about after dinner? There are a few yards still  
open."  
        "Sure."  
        "If we can find  
something nice, you can drive it over  
tomorrow.. When you bring  
your stuff over."  
        "I didn't say I'd  
stay at your place."  
        "Then  
to hell with what Dewey thinks. I'm staying put  
till we know while  
way the Rooks'll jump next."  
        "I'll pack a bag."  
        Ray smirked as he  
turned away, then just for the hell  
of it dropped something off  
the bench and squatted down to  
pick it up. He heard the paper snapping and when he looked  
around again. Huey was reading it again.  
        Ray returned to his food  
preparations with a smirk.  


  |   |   
---|---|---  
  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
  
          
        -This was a baaaad idea-  
Huey thought as he buttoned  
his coat to hide the evidence of the  
fact that watching Ray  
bending over *a lot* in those tailor fit  
trousers was  
turning him on.  
        The way he wiggled that  
butt when he was under the hood  
checking out the engine of the  
latest car was the final  
straw. Huey was glad he'd decided to forgo his shower till  
they got back to the apartment. He didn't know how he'd  
explain two in one night. Now he could head right for the  
shower and douse himself in cold water as soon as he got  
through the door without having to worry about what Ray  
would think.  
        Ray stretched out to  
check something out tactile and it  
made Huey want to groan. God,  
what did the man think he was  
made of, ice? He hadn't realised  
how big a turn on watching  
Ray checking out car's would be. But  
the way Ray touched  
those metal bodies, almost caressing them, the smiles and  
all that bending. It was driving him nuts.  
        "You almost done?"  
        Ray pulled out and  
looked at his hands. Huey pulled out  
a handkerchief and gave it  
to him to wipe his hands with.  
Ray used the handkerchief to close the hood.  
        "It's a pity I didn't  
bring Fraser along. I'd like to  
get his opinion on this car."  
        "I didn't think  
he had an opinion on cars."  
        "He  
can spot defects. You should have seen the way he  
helped me get  
Al to drop the price on my last Riv. I bet he  
could get these guys  
to drop the price to something more  
affordable."  
        "If this is the  
one you want."  
        "It's  
more than I'm willing too.."  
        "I'm  
the one who's paying, remember."  
        "Yeah..  
But this costs more than half what I spent."  
        "Is  
that including the ten grand in the hand?"  
        "Uh..no.."  
        "Then let's  
go buy it and get out of here.. I'm sick  
of looking at cars already."  
        "It's no big deal,  
Huey.. I'll just Fraser to come  
along and check it out for me tomorrow..  
Then we'll swing  
by here before we head for my place."  
        "Whatever. I am  
really looking forward to a *hot*  
bath."  
        "Yeah it is a bit  
nippy out here isn't it. I'll just  
go tell the sales man I need  
to think about it and we'll be  
outta here."  
        "I'll wait for you  
in the car."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey watched Ray fix  
the futon while he made a cup of  
coffee and was glad he wasn't  
feeling chatty. He didn't  
think he could handle watching Ray for much longer without  
pouncing on the man. Coffee made, he said good night and  
headed for the bedroom. He left the coffee by the bed and  
collected his towel and pyjama's and headed straight for the  
shower.  
        He let the cold water  
take care of his raging erection,  
he wasn't game to take care of  
it the normal way. The last  
thing he wanted was Ray hearing him getting off in the  
shower and working out he was grumpy because he'd been  
suffering a bad case of blue balls. He almost groaned as it  
started  
coming back to life when he was towelling himself  
down. Oh well. He'd just have to bury his face in a pillow  
and take care of it in a far more pleasant manner.  
        He headed for the bedroom,  
turning off lights as he  
went, and his jaw dropped, and his sex  
leapt back to hard  
throbbing life when he walked into his bedroom and found Ray  
half  
sitting, half lying on his bed, in his uniform, minus  
the coat.  
        -Man is my imagination  
working overtime or what-  
        "Is  
that a weapon in your trousers or are you just  
happy to see me?  
Cause if it's a weapon I'm just gonna have  
to make sure it's discharged  
safely."  
        Huey did groan.  
        "What the hell do  
you think you're doing?"  
        Ray  
sat up, rising.  
        "What  
I've been doing all day," he said moving toward  
Huey with  
fluid grace.  
        "Seducing you. Your  
Timmy told me how."  
        "Oh  
lord.. All that bending and stretching you've been  
doing in front  
of me was deliberate."  
        "Yeah."  
        "You are a god damn  
tease, you know that Vecchio."  
        "Up  
against the wall and assume the position Mac."  
        "You  
frisk me and that weapon's gonna go off."  
        Ray  
made him spin and assume the position and proceeded  
to thoroughly  
and slowly frisk him down from the ankles up.  
Huey groaned, Ray's  
hot breath on his back, as he worked his  
way up, and his hands  
actions were making his pulse rocket.  
Then Ray was making him turn around. To hell with games,  
Huey was ready for the fun part.  
        He reached out and ripped  
Ray's shirt open. Ray back  
stepped. The look that flitted across  
his face was enough  
to calm Huey down, not enough to make his body stop  
demanding satisfaction, but enough.  
        "I'm sorry.. You've  
been driving me insane half the  
day."  
        "S'ok. You're right..  
I was a tease.. We picked that  
suit out cause of the way pant's  
hugged my butt when I  
moved. He said it always turned you on when he wore it."  
        "I  
can't believe you asked my old lover how to seduce  
me."  
        "Well I didn't do  
it till he refused to resume the  
relationship and move back in  
with you."  
        "I'm not going to  
pounce if you walk out now Ray."  
        "I  
wouldn't be here in my uniform, with my shirt  
ripped, now if I  
hadn't made up my mind to do this, Jack."  
        "Why?"  
        "I wanna know..  
What it's like when done under the  
right circumstances with the  
right partner."  
        "I was talking about  
Fraser."  
        "Yeah..  
Well.. That's never gonna happen. I used to  
dream about it, and  
you put that idea in my head..but ever  
since I discovered you dream about me in your sleep Fraser  
hasn't been the one waiting for me when I go to sleep, you  
have."  
        He stepped back up to  
Huey and ran his hands up his  
slick torso. A rivulet of sweat ran  
down Huey's back.  
        "I'm Gay.. I'm admitting  
it. I admitted it over a week  
ago and talked it all over with that  
priest. I could never  
go to Fraser.. I'd just die if he rejected me. I know that,  
I ain't  
gonna make that mistake. But I know you want me and  
I wanna explore  
what it means to be Gay. I want you to show  
me how it's done. I  
wanna know *everything* I wanna know how  
it feels when it's done  
right."  
        He leaned close enough  
to Huey for the now panting man  
to feel his breath on his face.  
        "I want you to Fuck  
me," Ray said with just the right  
amount of huskiness in his  
voice to make more sweat start  
rolling down Huey's body.  
        "And I want to Fuck  
you. Do you want me to sink into  
you and make you howl and squirm  
and feel like you're just  
gonna explode with pleasure?""  
        The sweat started pouring  
off Huey and with a little  
growl of "yes," he reached  
for Ray pulling him into a  
fierce embrace to kiss him with a passion.  
        One thing lead to another  
and soon Ray was kneeling on  
the bed leaning on the wall - in "the  
position" with his  
back and throat arched, shaking all over  
with rivulets of  
sweat rolling down his caramel skin as Huey prepared him for  
the  
next stage and made that task a real pleasure for the  
recipient.  
        "Wha??" Ray  
asked aware Huey had asked him a question  
but he'd been too lost  
in the pleasure of what his fingers  
were doing to hear it.  
        "I said.. Did Goldie  
use protection?"  
        "Oh..  
Yeah.."  
        "Both  
times?"  
        "Yeah."  
        "Good.."  
        Then Ray forget  
all about the question as Huey's hands  
got busy again.  
        "Do you like that?"  
        "Ooooh yeeeeah,"  
Ray breathed as Huey's hand moved  
over his own rampant sex and  
balls.  
        Then Huey stopped, leaving  
him panting for more.  
        "God,  
why'd you stop?"  
        "Didn't  
you say something about making me howl and  
squirm and explode with  
pleasure."  
        "Later."  
        Then he felt Huey's finger's  
slide inside again and  
went cross eyed as Huey found that special  
place deep  
inside.  
        "Have I got your  
attention now?"  
        "Uh-hu."  
        Huey's fingers started  
moving.  
        "This  
is how you are going to fuck me.. Pay real close  
attention."  
        "Oooohhh-Yeah.."  
        He was extremely  
disappointed when Huey stopped. Huey  
waited for him to regain some  
of his wits then handed him  
the tube of lubricant.          
        "Do it to me  
now. The same way."  
        Ray  
obeyed, pleasing Huey as much as Huey pleased him.  
Ray didn't need  
to be told what to do next, and proved he'd  
been paying real close  
attention to what Huey had been doing  
to him. His hands played  
over Huey's sex and balls as he  
moved to the rhythm Huey had set. Huey arched his body  
tensing up. His legs going up and wrapping around Ray who  
stopped buried deep in him, wrapping his arms around Huey.  
        "Oh lord.."  
        "That's..goood,"  
Huey hissed out.  
        "Oh  
Yeah.. I think I'm gonna explode."  
        "That's  
how you stop someone.. Just try and do it  
again."  
        Ray discovered that he  
could barely do anything.  
        "I  
get the idea, Jack."  
        "Touch  
me.. Now."  
        Ray's  
hand dropped to give Huey a little more  
stimulation and Huey's  
head fell back, turning and his mouth  
moved over Ray's throat and  
ear. He relaxed, and his legs  
moved to tangle with Rays. He directed him to move harder  
and faster. And when Huey came, Ray was only a second or two  
behind.  
        "School was never  
this much fun," Ray said as they  
lay on the bed lazily exploring  
each other's body later.  
        Huey gave a little chuckle  
at that. Ray's lazy  
explorations became outright foreplay when  
he noticed Huey's  
erection starting to return.  
        "Time for my next  
lesson," Ray said as he assumed the  
position against the wall  
again.  
        Huey rose up and got  
into some heavy duty foreplay with  
Ray, making him pant in Italian.  
He was soon howling in it  
as Huey used nothing but his hand and his clever fingers to  
drive  
him wild. Then Ray's breath caught in his throat and  
his whole body tensed up as Huey sank into him with a hard  
thrust.  
        Hands travelled over  
his back and chest.  
        "Ohgod."  
        "Relax.."  
        "Ohgod."  
        "Relax Ray.."  
        "Ohgod."  
        "I'm sorry..  
I knew you'd tense up on me.. I wanted to  
get it done fast.. Just  
relax.."  
        "Oh god."  
        Huey almost sighed. He  
was so tense Huey knew every  
move he made would cause him pain  
and possibly cause as much  
damage as Gordon had to that vulnerable  
tissue. So he let his  
hands go to work again while he murmured  
away in Ray's ear  
till the level of tension in his body lessened.  
        "That feels.."  
        "Bad?"  
        "Noooo.. Strange..."  
        Huey smiled faintly.  
        "He didn't  
stop.. like you.. He just went for it.. But  
this is soo different..  
I can.. feel you..," Ray gave a  
tension induced giggle, "I  
could take your pulse right  
now."  
        Huey moved sliding almost  
all the way out, till the  
head of his sex was all that remained  
inside. Ray's body  
began trembling again. Huey made him shift position a little  
then  
kissed the back of his neck and thrust back into him.  
        "OOHH!"  
        "Good?"  
        "Oh Yeah. Real Good."  
        Huey did it again.  
        "Oooh Yeeeaaah."  
        "Well..I'm  
glad you're enjoying it.. cause this is  
killing me. God you are  
so tight.. I can barely do this.."  
        "Sorry."  
        "You like..so  
Relax..and you'll like it even more."  
        "I'm  
trying."  
        "Breath..  
In... now Ouuuuut.. that's right.. In..  
Slowly.. Now.. Out... In..  
Now.. Out.. Oh yes.. That's  
working.. In.. Out.."  
        On the next in, Huey  
was, and Ray pushed right off the  
wall and went into his arms.  
        "God.. Ray.. I tell  
you this... This is the last time  
I do it with a newbie.."  
        "Oh lord.. I'm sorry..  
You just.. Oh lord.. Is this  
what it feels like for women.. Geez-us.."  
        "Am I hurting you?"  
        "Noooo.. You  
really hit the spot that time. *This*  
feels right.. For the first  
time.."  
        "Good.. Breath..  
In.. Out.."  
        Ray  
did and Huey moved to the rhythm of his breathing,  
holding his  
trembling body close and resisted the impulse to  
do a little necking.  
He knew from experience that Gordon  
would have done it while he was fucking Ray.  
        Ray's throat arched and  
little whimpers came out of it,  
but they were of pleasure not pain.  
With every thrust Huey  
made, Ray gave a little Oh yeah, which got louder as he got  
closer  
to the edge. Huey was pretty close to it himself but  
fought it  
determined to make it so damned good Ray would  
want to do it again.  
        When Ray came with an  
exultant, "Oh God, Yesss!"  
Huey was right there with  
him. Ray's orgasm bringing him to  
his own.  
        They dropped to the bed  
together and after a few  
moment's Ray pulled away to turn and give  
him a very deep  
kiss and a cuddle.  
        "I think I'm gonna  
need a few more lessons."  
        Huey  
gave a tired little chuckle at that.  
        "Not  
tonight."  
        "So..  
You still wanna kick me out in the morning or  
what?"  
        Huey gave a little sigh.  
        "Ask me again  
in the morning.. After your next  
lesson."  
        "Oh goodie.."  
        "I'm starting  
to see why Giordi had a thing for  
Italian men."  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray's "next lesson"  
involved the shower and lots of  
water and soap. It also made him  
decide his favourite room  
was the bathroom.  
        When he finally got his  
shaky legs to carry him from  
the room, drawn out by the smell of  
food he found Huey  
setting breakfast out on the island bench.  
        "So, Teach, do I  
get an A for effort?"  
        Huey  
gave him a kiss.  
        "Does  
that mean I can stay?"  
        "If  
you can put up with me being a *very* thorough  
teacher."  
        Ray smiled wickedly.  
        "There's a  
Van Halen song that comes to mind right  
now."  
        Huey laughed, then pushed  
his breakfast toward him. Ray  
perched himself on his stool and  
wolfed it down. All that  
sex had given him an appetite. Huey perched on his stool and  
just  
watched him, picking at his own food.  
        "Ain't ya Hungry?"  
        "Hmm.. No..  
Not really."  
        "I'm  
starving. Good sex always does that to me."  
        Huey  
gave a faint smile.  
        "Watch  
the flattery, or the only thing that's gonna be  
on this bench is  
you."  
        "I may hold you  
to that when we get back tonight."  
        "If  
I thought you could handle it, I'd call in sick  
for both of us..  
Call it mutual food poisoning.."  
        Ray's brow raised.  
        "When I'm sexually  
active, I've got a high sex drive.  
Or didn't Tim warn you about  
it."  
        "He told me I better  
be sure.. Cause once you got  
started you turned into action Jackson."  
        "That's Timmy.."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
          
        A "double dose of  
food poisoning" lasted three day's  
during which Huey was every  
bit the thorough teacher he  
promised to be. Ray learned pretty fast that there wasn't a  
room  
in the house he was safe in once he put on one of the  
suits Timothy gave him and bent over or squatted down. He  
also learned a variety of positions, all of which were  
extremely pleasurable and several new ways of applying  
protection. Huey drummed the P.P.B.P lesson into his head.  
Preparation & protection before Penetration, he told Ray  
after Ray turned the tables and got frisky on him again.  
        Their "food poisoning"  
lasted into a forth day when  
they ran out of both. Huey took Ray  
out with him, in his  
car, to introduce him to a gay friendly chemist where they  
could restock, and get something for the queasy stomach Ray  
had  
developed over night. And who should they bump into  
while they were heading for the door with their supplies  
discretely wrapped but Lieutenant Welsh.  
        Ray went bright red.  
Lucky for him, Welsh was in a  
hurry. A snap of I expect to see  
you both at work in the  
morning was the sum total of their conversation. They  
hurried out and Huey slapped Ray's arm as they walked away.  
Ray  
looked around and Huey pointed out Welsh's car, with a  
lady sitting in the passenger seat, her finger's drumming on  
the  
side of the door.  
        "Guess who got caught  
out."  
        Ray's  
laugh turned into a moan and he leaned on the  
window of the chemist,  
a hand to his stomach and Huey  
clucked.  
        "Not again."  
        "I got bad  
news for you, Jack.." Ray moaned, "I  
think I really got  
food poison.."  
        He didn't finish that  
announcement, he threw up and Huey jumped back just  
as Welsh walked  
out. Huey's movement caught his attention. When Huey saw  
his superior  
heading their way he kicked trash over the puddle and with a  
groan  
of "Oh God" Ray covered that with a new puddle a moment latter.  
        Welsh layed a hand  
on Ray's face, and forehead while  
Huey passed him a handkerchief.  
Ray's groans just got  
worse. He felt as if someone had reached inside and was  
twisting his guts around.  
        Welsh asked if they'd  
eaten anything from Huey's  
favourite takeaway place.  
        "All the time,"  
Huey said.  
        "Last  
night," Ray groaned.  
        "Get  
him to the hospital, now," Welsh barked at Huey.  
"People  
have been dropping like flies after eating there in  
the last 24  
hours."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        While Huey returned to  
work the next day, Ray didn't.  
He spent the next week suffering  
from real food poisoning.  
When he wasn't hanging over the bath throwing up or feeling  
like  
it, he was tucked up in bed, with a clucking Mountie  
tending to his every wish, except the oft expressed "go to  
hell" which usually followed his attempts to get Ray to eat  
or drink something.  
        Ray didn't want to see  
Fraser, it embarrassed him no  
end that Huey had called him in to  
play nursemaid. It went beyond  
embarrassment when he couldn't stand  
and had to be helped to bathe or go to  
the bath room. The way Fraser  
handled him was as efficient as a nurse.  
There were none of the little  
pats or strokes, or kisses on the heads Huey  
gave him. Just cold  
clinical assistance. It was like a knife in Ray's soul.  
  
        Fraser wasn't the only  
one Ray growled at. When Huey  
returned at the end of the day, Fraser  
deserted his "post"  
leaving Ray to Huey's care. That  
was when Ray let out all  
his resentment on Huey. He was thanking the lord when he  
started improving and didn't need to be nursed. Fraser  
stopped coming around and Huey clucked a lot.  
         When Ray finally got  
the all clear to return to work,  
it was a very grouchy detective  
Vecchio who stomped his way  
through the day.  
        Huey was told to shove  
it after he went to the trouble  
of going around to Ray's favourite  
bakery to get Jelly  
doughnuts for him. The coffee made Ray spit and Francesca  
finally got approval for her Expresso machine after Ray put  
a few  
bullets into the coffee dispenser to express his  
opinion of it. Ray was left bewildered as to why his sister  
bounced  
up to plant a kiss on his cheek before she bounced  
off again.  
        That took care of his  
grumps for about half an hour  
while he tried to work it out. The  
grumps returned when he  
needed to leave and went looking for Huey to borrow his car,  
only  
to discover Huey had left with Dewey. He stomped  
through the station muttering dire threats as to what he'd  
do to the dark detective when he got his hands on him.  
        His mood didn't improve  
after the car he borrowed from  
the pool turned out to have a problem  
with it's fuel  
injection system, the kind of problem that made the car  
stall, constantly.  
        He let Huey have it at  
the top of his lungs later, Huey  
who'd had a less than perfect  
day himself, roared back.  
Which brought Welsh out of his office to demand to know what  
the  
bellowing was about. They were told to work it out at a  
civilised  
volume and not permitted to air their grievances.  
        Things  
were just as bad at the apartment later. Huey  
watched Ray stomp  
his way through preparing the futon to  
sleep and had his attempt at making dinner rejected. Taking  
a hint  
he retreated to his bedroom.  
        Ray was somewhat less  
surly at breakfast the next  
morning and munched on dry toast and  
some weak tea. He  
became surly again when Huey once again refused to open the  
garage  
so he could get his Riv out. Ray grumbled all the way  
to the precinct.  
But Huey just threw the keys at him and  
told him he'd get Dewey to drive him around for the day.  
        Frannie got growled at  
and wandered off muttering, to  
return to set a cup of coffee down  
and told him to get his  
caffeine fix and be prepared to be *nice* if he wanted  
anything out of her.  
        Being *nice* to Frannie  
resulted in him being extra  
surly to everyone else. He stomped  
down a corridor which had  
ever so mysteriously become deserted  
in a big hurry when he  
walked into the corridor's grumbling. He  
was walking past  
his favourite closet when out came an arm and he was hauled  
in.  
        Before he had time to  
utter his started cry Huey's lips  
descended on his and he was given  
a toungesilectomy that  
made his knees go weak when Huey's talented hands got into  
the act too. Ray's shirt lost a button during Huey's rapid  
work opening it, and then that mouth moved down ward to play  
over  
Ray's chest, while his hand descended lower.  
        Soon Ray was pulling  
his head up to make a husky voiced  
request.  
        "You got any protection."  
        "God, no."  


  | "Then forget it. Neither have I." |   
---|---|---  
  
        Ray went down on Huey  
a few seconds later. He didn't  
give Huey any satisfaction that  
way though. When he had Huey  
right where he wanted him, he stopped  
and then rose turning  
around and wiggled his ass at Huey. Huey  
growled you're such  
a tease and took him up on it and had to clap  
a hand over  
Ray's mouth to muffle his cries.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "So did you work  
thing's out with Huey?" Welsh asked.  
        "Yes,  
sir."  
        "And?"  
        "Sir?"  
        "Is he moving  
into your place? You mentioned that you  
were going to get him to  
do it, before you came down with  
the food poisoning.."  
        "Oh, that. The last  
place I wanna be is home. That  
might attract the Rooks. All that  
talk about getting him to  
move into my place was basically about  
getting him to agree  
to let me stay sir. Talking to the friend  
he used to share  
that apartment with was the right thing to do.. Now I know  
how to avoid irritating Huey."  
        "You've been anything  
but avoiding it."  
        "That  
was the food poisoning. You ought to try it and  
see what it does  
for your self. God, Huey had to hide my gun  
it was so bad I just  
wanted to shoot myself and get it over  
with. And Fraser.. Arrrgh..  
Him and his Inuit stories. I  
just wanted to strangle him. And I wasn't feeling one  
hundred percent when I got back.. so I took it out on  
everyone else. And I was worrying about Huey telling me now  
I was  
better to get out.. But we finally had it out, he gave  
in and said  
I could stay over."  
        "Oh."  
        "Sir???"  
        "Why don't we step  
into the closet, hmmm?"  
        One  
duck into a closet later. Thankfully not the same  
one he'd shared  
with Huey earlier. Welsh got straight to the  
real reason he pounced  
on Ray.  
        "There's been talk  
around the station."  
        Ray  
gave him his version of the big eyed Mountie look.  
        "Talk,  
sir?"  
        "About  
Huey."  
        "What  
sort of talk would that be?"  
        "The  
sort that clears out the showers and toilet when  
he walks in."  
        "Oooh.. I didn't  
notice."  
        "I  
think it was Dewey ducking out every time he walked  
in that started  
it... When a man's gay it's his partner who  
works it out first..  
Usually when the gay party hits on  
him.. Now I normally wouldn't repeat rumours. I try to  
ignore them. But in this case, seeing as how he's decided to  
let  
you stay, I thought you should know.."  
        "Weeelll.. If he  
is gay.. That would mean his old  
*Friend* was his lover.. And you  
didn't see that guy.. He  
was a male model.. I'm definitely not his type."  
        "Well.. If he starts  
hitting on you, don't say you  
weren't warned."  
        "Don't worry about  
me, sir. If Huey starts hitting on  
me, I know exactly how to handle  
him."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
          
        Huey laughed when Ray  
told him all about his talk with  
Welsh.  
        "I wonder what his  
face would have looked like if I  
told him I was the one who started  
hitting on you."  
        "Priceless no doubt."  
        "You don't  
mind.. do you?"  
        "Mind  
why should I? I came out of the closet when I  
told Dewey. And before  
you started hitting on me, I told him  
there was nothing going on  
because you're not my type. So  
it's up to you to decided wether or not you want to hide in  
it."  
        "I kind of like  
being in the closet.. Specially when  
you're in it."  


  |   |   
---|---|---  
  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
  
  
        Ray's Riv stayed parked  
in Huey's Garage ever since  
Huey had hunted it down. He refused  
to let Ray have the  
keys because he considered Ray's Riv to be a rolling Bulls  
Eye. Two day's after Huey very effectively degrumped Ray,  
Huey tossed Ray the keys to his car, and told him to drive  
himself back to the apartment that afternoon because he'd  
made other arrangements.  
        "Lovers tiff?"  
Dewey asked from behind Ray's back as  
he unlocked Huey's car.  
        Ray rolled his eyes and  
turned, then patted his thighs.  
        "Why  
don't you come over here where we can discuss  
your obsession with  
my sex life."  
        Dewey scuttled off. Ray  
snickered.  
        "Yeah..  
I thought you'd do that."  
        He  
turned to open the car door and fell against the car  
with a big  
fat tomato hurled with quite some force  
splattered against his head. He shook his head dazedly, that  
rotten  
missile had packed quite a punch. And so did the one  
that followed  
it. It hit him smack in the middle of the face  
when he looked around.  
He fell back against the car again  
and before he could clear his eyes half a dozen more slammed  
into  
his body, spattering the new Armani suit Huey had  
picked out for him that morning.  
        They were thrown with  
such precision and force that he  
was left writing in pain and gasping  
for breath on the  
bitumen. Rotten eggs rained down on him next, and as the  
last one was thrown he heard a voice declare him a pervert  
and a deviate before he heard foot steps running both away  
from the area and toward him. He heard his name called out,  
then  
there were two sets of feet heading his way.  
        He felt hands on his  
arms, heard Welsh and Dewey then  
it was just Welsh, as Dewey bolted,  
in search of his  
partner. Welsh wiped his face clean with his handkerchief  
and Ray looked up.  
        "Did you see who  
did this?"  
        "No,"  
Ray squeaked, "But.. whoever it.. was.. has..  
got.. one hell..  
of a throwing arm.. God.. I am.. going.. to  
be covered in bruises."  
        Welsh helped him up to  
his feet.  
        "Let's  
get you cleaned up."  
        The  
mystery had a new twist, when Welsh went to Ray's  
locker, while  
Ray showered, the second he opened Ray's  
locker, Welsh was glad he'd seen it before Ray did. Apart  
from the fact Ray's spare clothes were unwearable, and he  
was splattered with a nasty surprise that reeked. There was  
also  
a poster of a black man with an impossibly long penis,  
with Huey's  
face pasted over the man's, on the door of the  
locker along with a KKK sign and a picture of a burning  
cross. The last picture was of Ray's house, with a burning  
cross painted on the lawn.  
        Welsh bellowed and a  
police photographer was soon  
taking photographs, and he went to  
his own locker to get  
clean clothes and stores to find a uniform in Ray's size.  
        When Ray saw his locker  
he went ballistic. When Dewey  
arrived, panting, to report that  
he had no idea where Huey  
was, Ray blew him up.  
        "You started this  
you idiot! Huey only told you he was  
Gay to shut you up when you  
started going on about the way  
you thought I was fucking Fraser. Well I got news for you  
mister. Fraser's so straight you could use him to rule a  
line.. We got hauled in by I.A over some woman he was  
sleeping with who framed him but good before you ever set  
foot here."  


  | Dewey had the grace to blush. |   
---|---|---  
  
        "What about that  
guy Tim? He showed me his picture and  
said.."  
        "That was just to  
make you shut up about me staying  
over at his place. Showing you  
a picture of a man so god  
damn handsome you'd think I wasn't his type."  
        "Oh."  
        "He's staying at  
Huey's place, because they've both  
been targeted for death by the  
Rooks. His snitch told him  
about a plan to take them both out.. And you know what  
happened to his snitch. You were there when Huey told me. He  
doesn't  
like the idea of Huey being alone at the moment.."  
        "Good  
reason."  
        "This  
is the final straw.. He's moving into my place  
first thing.."  
        "In light of what's  
in your locker, I don't think  
that's a very wise idea, Vecchio."  
        "Any bastard tries  
lighting up a cross on my line, I'm  
going to exercise my right  
to protect my home and property  
on.. With a 45, and there ain't a judge in this city  
that'll toss me in the pen for it," Ray roared, before  
storming  
off.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        His temper only burned  
brighter, when as he was driving  
through a deserted part of town  
near Huey's apartment, a  
motorcycle cop using lights and his siren made him pull over.  
Climbing  
out of the car, in his uniform made the cop do a  
double take, then he was being made to turn around, and was  
about  
to explode again, when he heard Huey's voice telling  
him to assume the position.  
        He assumed it.  
        "Ohhhh..  
That's so kinky."  
        "Turnabout's  
fair play."  
        "I  
didn't use a bike. And how did you get your hands  
on it and *that*  
uniform.. God if it was any tighter, you'd  
be splitting the seams."  
        "I'm not the only  
Gay cop in the precinct."  
        The  
frisky frisking ended abruptly as Huey worked his  
way up and got  
a good sniff.  
        "What the hell..  
You smell like you took a bath in a  
sewer pit."  
        "You should get  
a whiff of Welsh. He smells even  
worse," Ray said turning  
and watching Huey pull off his  
mirrored bike cop shades.  
        "I take it the smell  
has killed your mood."  
        "Damn  
right it has,"  
        "Good..  
No offence.. I'm gonna be covered in bruises  
by morning."  
        "What happened?"  
        "I got egged  
in the car park.. With rotten eggs and  
Tomato's.. By someone with  
one hell of an arm.. Welsh saw it  
happening when he happened to  
glance out his window at the  
right time.. Problem is he didn't see who it was.. and I got  
hit  
smack in the face with one of those tomatoes and they  
didn't stop coming, hard and fast till I was down on the  
ground.. Let me tell you.. Whoever that was, had great aim..  
Each  
one was meant to hurt and take me down.. And once I  
was.. the eggs started coming."  
        "And no one saw  
anything."  
        "Except  
Welsh.. And like I said.."  
        "He  
couldn't see who was throwing them."  
        "The  
only other person out there at the time was Dewey  
and I know it  
wasn't him.. I was talking to him just before  
it happened. He didn't  
have anything on him."  
        "And he didn't see  
anything."  
        "Didn't  
even realise it was happening till he heard  
that bastard express  
his opinion of my sexual tastes."  
        "Oooohhh.. That's  
what this is about."  
        "It  
goes further than that Jack... Welsh helped me get  
cleaned up..  
I could hardly walk for the first few minutes  
there.. He went to my locker to get my spare suit and .."  
        "That's why he stinks  
too.. He got the surprise that  
was prepared for you."  
        Ray nodded.  
        "And that wasn't  
the only thing in the locker."  
        Ray  
pulled the photo of his house out of his pocket and  
handed it over.  
Huey exploded into a burst of profanity  
that would have stripped the paint off the walls if he'd  
been near a painted wall.  
        "And there was another  
one.. A photo of a burning  
cross.. It was a KKK post card.. And  
there was something  
else there too.. but Welsh ripped it down and shredded it  
before I could see it."  
        "I got the same  
shit in my locker when I was dating a  
woman Louis introduced me  
too, a cousin of his, and there  
was a clear message on the door.. That said stick to your  
own kind, nigger, don' go messin' with no white women, or  
we'll start messin' with you. It was signed with a KKK."  
        "I  
thought that stuff only went down Mississippi way."  
        "You'd  
be surprised.. It wasn't the first time I've  
been KKK'd for dating  
a white woman.. It happened at school  
too.. They trashed my car  
and left a flaming crucifix  
hanging off the rear view mirror. I never dated her again.  
And you're going home tonight."  
        "You're coming with  
me."  
        "Are  
you insane. That would only make it worse. You  
would have a flaming  
cross on your lawn if I did that."  
        "Fine.  
Then I'm staying with you.. I announced at the  
top of my lungs  
that there was absolutely nothing going on  
and reamed Dewey out in the locker room with an audience.. I  
told  
him you only said you were gay to make him shut up when  
he was  
going on about Fraser. And only showed him Tim's  
picture to make him think I wasn't his type to keep him from  
making  
innuendo about us.. And Welsh made it clear I'm there  
cause of  
the threat from the Rooks."  
        "Great I come out  
of the closet and you shove me back  
in again."  
        "Hey, you were the  
one who pulled me into the  
closet."  
        Huey gave him a little  
poke that made Ray grimace and  
Huey regret it. He spent the rest  
of the night clucking over  
Ray, who was right. He did develop bruises,  
livid ones, on  
his torso and back, and his face was black and blue by  
morning.  
        Within five minutes of  
reporting for duty next morning,  
he was hauled off, stripped and  
photographed and when those  
photo's were developed they joined  
the file with the report  
on the egging and locker incident.  
        Everyone walked softly  
around him after Welsh told him  
he was desk bound till the bruises  
healed. Ray didn't argue  
about it, his body ached and he had a  
headache anyway. Dewey  
apologised to Huey and several other's approached  
Huey to  
express apologies. No one apologised to Ray. More than  
likely because they didn't want to be yelled at. They didn't  
realise  
that Ray was quiet because he had a headache, and  
not because he was building up a temper.  
        They worked it out when  
he smiled weakly at Fraser when  
he arrived to plunk himself down  
before Ray's desk and then  
start clucking when he saw the detective's  
face. Ray made a  
very loud sarcastic comment that he should probably  
leave  
cause some people thought he was sleeping with any man he  
was friends with and expressed their opinion's of it with  
underhanded attacks on his person and property.  
        Fraser left, with Welsh's  
file on the incident. Huey  
decided the closet wasn't a bad place  
to be not long after,  
pulling Ray in after him. He had a little  
kissing in mind  
but Ray pulled a little packet from his pocket and made it  
clear he wanted a lot more.  
        Huey took it at the very  
moment the door opened. Huey  
palmed it fast just before Francesca  
walked in. Looking at  
their flushed faces, and taking in their heavy breathing,  
she put her hands to her hips.  
        "Are you two snarling  
at each other again? Jack Huey  
you should be ashamed of your self.  
Ray's the one who was  
attacked yesterday but you're the one who's getting all the  
sympathy.  
Go find someone else to snarl at."  
        Huey slunk off. Ray worked  
on controlling the urge to  
strangle his sister. Frannie patted  
his shoulder and told  
him to go back to his desk and she'd fetch any little thing  
he  
wanted. Then she collected what she'd been after and left  
him there.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray leaned a new position  
that night. One that let him  
watch how Huey reacted to every little  
thing. It was a major  
turn on.  
        "I gotta remember  
that position."  
        "Oh,  
you like that one."  
        "It's  
very visually stimulating."  


  | Huey smiled faintly. |   
---|---|---  
  
        "You up for a little  
more action Jackson?"  
        "Are  
you?"  
        "Oh,  
yeah.. But I gotta request."  
        "Anything  
your little heart desires."  
        "I  
want you to fuck me like you did in the closet that  
first time.  
In that position.. And no Latex. I don't want  
nothing between you and me.."  
        The look of pure lust  
that appeared on Huey's face  
brought an ache to Ray's groin. Huey  
quickly controlled it  
and shook his head.  
        "Fine then.. You  
know where the shower is."  
        Huey  
grinned.  
        "You  
can have it alone and cold."  
        "Tease."  
        "That's all  
you're gonna get till I get what I want."  
        He  
got it, after teasing Huey for three hours. Even  
though it left  
him sore and reminded him of the danger's of  
loosing control, he  
expressed the opinion that it was his  
favourite position.  
        "God.. Watching  
you is a bigger turn on that what  
you're actually doing."  
        "We have to do it  
again, when your bruises have  
healed. I want to watch you."  
        "I wanna get up  
early in the morning.. Set the alarm  
for half an hour earlier."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey discovered why the  
next morning. Ray served him  
breakfast in bed and teased him till  
was ready to engage in  
a little pursuit. Ray's path lead straight  
to the Garage  
where he finally convinced Huey to open it up. Dragging him  
in,  
Ray then rolled the door back down. When Ray made his  
intentions to make out in the back seat clear Huey vetoed  
them.  
        "A soft bed's one  
thing, the back seat's something  
else. You'll feel everyone of  
those bruises."  
        "Oh come on Jack..  
You're not going to say no to a  
little action are you?"  
        "Time for another  
lesson I think."  
        Ray's  
eyes lit up wondering what interesting position  
Huey would dream  
up this time. Then he was being picked up  
and sat on the hood for a little careful necking. Ray's  
hands were very busy while Huey's remained glued to his hips  
to  
stop him sliding. Ray got Huey naked and let his finger's  
do the  
talking while their mouth's were stuck in lip lock.  
        When Ray wrapped his  
legs around him and started with  
the pelvic action, Huey divested  
him of his clothes and  
lifted him down to Ray's surprise. Then Huey climbed into  
the passenger seat and pushed it back as far as it went and  
patted  
his thigh. With a grin Ray clambered in and tried to  
wrap his arms  
around Huey's neck for a kiss, but Huey  
detached his arms.  
        "No.."  
        He made Ray turn around,  
and then with a little  
direction got Ray right where he wanted  
him.  
        "OOOOHHH-MI-GOD,"  
cried Ray when he discovered just  
how satisfying the position Huey  
got him in could be.  
        And he kept on doing  
it, getting louder with every  
thrust Huey made. Huey laughed when  
it was over and Ray  
leaned forward to kiss the dash.  
        "I love this car."  
        Huey had absolutely  
no luck at getting Ray to leave the  
garage. He dressed quickly  
and scrambled into the driver's  
seat with the key's he'd found the hiding place of and  
started it up.  
        "Ray."  
        "Open the door or  
I'm gonna drive right through it."  
        "And  
dent your car."  
        "I  
ran into something that would cause a lot more  
damage with this  
car the day I got it.. Now open the door."  
        "The  
Rooks will be looking out for it."  
        "So  
I'll take it out and get it resprayed if I have  
to."  
        Huey sighed, he knew  
this was one argument he wasn't  
going to win.  
        "Allright. You can  
drive it again, but only if you get  
it resprayed."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray discovered when he  
said only if you get it  
resprayed, he meant *immediately*. Huey  
used his own car to  
force Ray to drive the car to a spray shop  
and the Italian  
was a grumpy man when he climbed out. Huey just pulled out  
his gun and blew out a tyre making Ray wail.  
        "There.. Now you  
can't take it anywhere till it's  
done."          
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray gave Huey the cold  
shoulder all day and Fraser a  
radiant smile and hovered around  
him, until Huey decided it  
was time to harass Forensics about the  
report on one of  
the sets of remains found in the Graveyard that hadn't come  
back.  
The report that is.  
        "Are you at each  
other's throats again?"  
        "He  
shot my Riv."  
        "What?!"  
        "He blew out  
a tire."  
        Fraser's  
hand went to his chest.  
        "Oh  
thank goodness. I thought you meant he put a  
bullet through the  
body. That would mean replacing a  
panel."  
        "You're all sympathy,  
Fraser."  
        "I  
thought you weren't driving it anymore."  
        "He's  
been making sure I don't.. He only let me drive  
it as far as a  
paint shop this morning, and blew out the  
tire. He wounded my baby."  
        Fraser tried not to laugh  
at Ray's pout.  
        "What  
are you going to do about it?"  
        "He's  
gonna pay.. I've got my own way's of torturing  
him when he does  
something really irritating."  
        "I assume you're  
getting it resprayed."  
        Ray  
pulled out a paint chip and showed it to Fraser.  
The first thought  
that popped into Fraser's head was that  
the shade was the exact same colour as Huey's skin, only  
with metallic glints.  
        "Huey vetoed my  
first choice."  
        "What  
was it?"  
        "A  
really nice shade of emerald green."  
        "I  
see."  
        "He  
said, green, is green, is green, I don't care if  
it's emerald,  
jade, lime, Jungle, Irish, clover or the exact  
same shade as your  
eyes.. You're not getting a green paint  
job. So I had to start looking again.. This is the only one  
spoke  
to me."  
        -And it's saying something  
interesting about those  
rumours that you're sharing more than just  
an apartment with  
Huey- Fraser thought.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey thought Ray had  
decided to forgive him for  
shooting the tyre when he caught Ray  
hovering at his  
shoulder later.  
        "Keys."  
        "Oh."  
        Huey handed them over.  
        "Where are  
you going?"  


  | "Shopping." |   
---|---|---  
  
        "Pick up some coffee,  
we're running low."  
        "Yeah,  
yeah.. Anything else? I'm in a hurry here."  
        "You  
don't act it."  
        Ray  
spun on his heel and bolted.  
        "Now  
he's in a hurry," Dewey said leaning toward  
Huey.  
        "So what are you  
two arguing about now?"  
        "I  
blew out a tyre on his Riv. With my gun."  
        "And  
he didn't blow one through you with his.. Are you  
*sure* there's  
nothing going on between you?"  
        "Mea Culpa I confess,  
I can't keep my hands off the  
man, I pounce on him, anytime, anywhere..  
Bedroom, kitchen,  
bathroom, lounge room, garage, the station..."  
        Huey's list went on and  
on until Dewey hit him with  
something. Huey was laughing to himself,  
because he'd listed  
every place he'd ever pounced on Ray and Dewey  
thought he  
was being sarcastic.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
          
        "Hi Timothy."  
        "Detective  
Vecchio.. Come in.. How's Jack?"  
        "Living  
up to the name you gave him."  
        Timothy  
laughed.  
        "So  
you did go through with it?"  
        "Whaddya  
know, the uniform works fine, even when I'm  
wearing it. He broke  
into a sweat when he saw me lying on  
his bed with it."  
        Timothy laughed even  
harder.  
        "That  
was after I took your advice.. He was so horny  
by the time I got  
around to it, that even a cold shower  
couldn't put out that fire."  
        "I told you the  
suit would work."  
        "That  
one and all the rest.. I don't suppose you've  
got anything else  
in that wardrobe you wouldn't be seen dead  
in. Like maybe a pair  
of Jeans so tight they'd look like  
they were sprayed on."  
        "Why.. Yes.. I do  
have a pair like that, with a  
matching coat."  
        Ray smiled.  
        "I never wear them  
of course.. My agent said I had to  
stop wearing clothes like that..  
To cultivate a more refined  
image to score the big money contracts.  
How many pairs do  
you want?"  
        "How many you got?"  
        "Torturing  
him a little?"  
        "Uh-hu.  
I want something that'll make him horny as  
hell the second he sees  
me in it. Something that clings.  
But it's gotta be stylish. I can't be cheap, not around the  
station.  
I'll get reamed out if I look cheap."  
        Timothy turned and walked  
away, and Ray followed.  
        "I've  
got just the thing.. Designer gear.. Clings like  
a second skin.  
Trust me, one look at you in it, and Jack'll  
practically explode."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Heads turned through  
out the precinct when Ray walked  
through it on his return. His  
denim/lyrca blend jeans clung  
so lovingly to his legs he'd had  
to forgo underwear. The  
silk shirt he wore matched the shade perfectly, and the  
simple but elegant brocade vest was a perfect contrast, the  
coat  
slung over Ray's shoulder was a perfect match for the  
pants and top. And bar the vest, it was all a match for  
Ray's eyes.  
        Huey was working on paper  
work when Ray sauntered up  
and then walked past on his way to his  
desk. He deliberately  
knocked his pen cup off the desk and gave  
a little curse.  
Huey looked up as Ray dropped the coat on the desk. Huey's  
eye's widened, then almost bugged out of his head when Ray  
bent over to scoop up the cup in a pose reminiscent of a  
Ballerina's. A leg slightly arched, the other one going out  
into  
the air, just the way Tim had coached him too.  
        Huey watched as Ray repeated  
the manoeuvre over and over  
scooping up his well scattered pens  
and pencils. By the time  
he was through Huey was wondering how  
he'd get Ray into a  
closet, and by god, it had to be fast.  
        Ray on the other hand,  
totally ignored him. Hanging up  
his coat, then easing down in to  
his seat to start checking  
the new files on his desk.  
        And he continued ignoring  
him through the remainder of  
the day as he moved through the station  
and made sure Huey  
couldn't catch him near any closets. It drove Huey nuts.  
Dewey walked up and walked backwards into Huey's chair as  
Ray walked away from his desk.  
        "Is that *Vecchio.*  
My god what an outfit.. You can  
see everything he's got in those  
pants. How the hell did he  
get into them?"  
        "Probably revisited  
the paint shop and said, I like  
this colour.. Spray me with it."  
        Dewey laughed and dropped  
a file on his desk.  
        "Yeah..  
They've got the sprayed on look. Opps.. He  
dropped something..  
This'll be fun, can he even squat  
down."  
        Huey snapped his pencil  
in his hands.  
        "No..  
He's making like a Ballerina to pick it up,"  
Dewey said then  
laughed.  
        "Sondra just walked  
into a file cabinet because she  
was too busy watching that to watch  
where she was going...  
Aha.."  
        "Aha what?"  
        "Here comes  
Frannie with the rest of the stuff I  
asked for."  
        Huey turned to watch  
Frannie stop dead to gape at her  
brother as he walked past. She  
turned and kept watching till  
he walked out of the room and disappeared  
from sight. And  
she wasn't the only one. There wasn't a woman in the room  
who wasn't joining her in that act. And there were a few men  
who  
watched too.  
        Frannie shook her head  
shuddered and hurried over to  
Huey and Dewey's desk.  
        "Don't like his  
new look."  
        "Like  
it.. I've never seen my brother dressed so hot  
in his life. A guy  
only dresses like that when he's out to get laid."  
        Dewey  
laughed and she dumped the files.  
        "So  
who's he seeing?"  
        They  
both shrugged. Dewey looked at Huey and poked him.  
        "She's  
right. There's no way he'd pour himself into  
those ball breakers  
unless he scored himself a hot date. So  
who is it?"  
        "Like he'd tell  
me."  
        "Oh.  
Right you shot his baby."  
        "You  
shot Ray's Riv?!"  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        The next day, Ray reversed  
the colour scheme. It was  
exactly the same style shirt, jeans,  
coat and vest, only  
they were in the same rich chocolate brown as the vest, and  
the  
vest was the same colour as his eyes. Huey called in  
sick, because there was absolutely no way he could get  
through another day of watching Ray parade around in those  
oh so tight pants and not touch.  
        He'd tried.. But Ray  
avoided him till he got home then  
gave him a very chilly, "You  
shot my baby" when Huey  
grabbed him the moment they got back  
to the apartment. Huey  
knew then that Ray wanted to torture him.  
And torture him he  
did. He peeled out of those clothes, and then  
proceeded to  
change into a succession of suits one after another asking  
Huey his opinion on every one.  
        Huey knew where those  
suits came from. Everyone came  
with a price tag in excess of $500  
dollars an article. It  
was the Jeans and matching shirts that were the killer. He'd  
never  
seen Tim wear anything like it. And Ray paraded around  
in a rainbows  
worth of them. 6 different shades of Red,  
Green, Blue, Yellow, Purple, Brown + A Black Pair, A white  
pair, and a Black and white pair.  
        And when he'd finished  
changing into those, Ray pulled  
the coupe de gras, he pulled one  
of his Ballerina bends,  
twirled around, then went down in the splits.  
        "You are the biggest  
tease on this planet."  
        Ray  
grinned then climbed up and did a Russian dance out  
of the room.  
        "Look what else  
Timmy taught me to do in these  
things."  
        Huey dropped back onto  
the bed, with a raging hard on  
and screamed. He heard Ray cackling  
with laughter in the  
lounge.  
        "You are gonna pay  
and pay and pay."  
        Of  
course the fact Huey called in sick meant Ray  
couldn't torture  
him at work the next day. But he had lots  
of fun, listening to women walk into things when he walked  
past because they were too busy watching his butt.  
        He deliberately knocked  
some files to the floor to give  
a lovely lady an eyeful and heard  
someone run into a file  
cabinet, then he heard Dief whine, and his sister dashing  
across the room clucking about Fraser.  
        Looking around he saw  
Fraser standing by a file  
cabinet, one hand on top, the other rubbing  
his head.  
Frannie zeroed in to cluck.  
        -Hello, he walked into  
a file cabinet cause he saw me  
in these.. Maybe Huey's right..  
God.. I'd die if I hit on  
him and he rejected me. What if Huey's wrong. What if it was  
just  
the surprise of seeing me in this gear?-  
        He continued retrieving  
files and heard someone walk  
into Welsh's door. Looking around  
he saw Welsh rubbing his  
nose, fumbling with the handle.  
        -I'm dead.-  
        Welsh walked into his  
office, then yelled for him to  
get in there.  
        "What's with the  
gigolo gear?"  
        "It's  
part of my brilliant plan."  
        "What  
brilliant plan?"  
        "To  
find the cretin who bombed me and KKK'd my  
locker."  
        Welsh looked him up and  
down.  
        "There  
I was.. Reaming Dewey out about starting those  
rumours.. Next day,  
people start apologising to Huey, but  
no one apologised to me. So they must figure I'm gay anyway  
wether  
or not I'm jumping Jack's bones.. And this is me,"  
Ray flung  
his arms out wide. "Coming out of the closet. To  
lure a homophobic  
racist pig out of his."  
        Welsh looked him up and  
down again.  
  
        "I asked a gay guy  
to help me pick out my wardrobe..  
He said, this was me, and scream's  
Fuck me, I like it."  
        "Try  
wearing Leather instead. Chains, studs.. What ever you like.. But not  
*that* outfit, or the green one.. I never want to see them again.  
Understood?"  
        "Understood sir."  
        "Now get out  
of my sight."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray walked through a  
deserted corridor, files in his  
arms heading for the archives.  
As he walked past an  
adjoining corridor arms reached out for him. Files went up  
and papers scattered everywhere when those hands cupped and  
squeezed  
his tush. Ray jumped a good three feet, then spun  
around.  
        He saw someone in black  
with a cowboy hat for a moment,  
another guy, then that guy was  
spinning and bolting into the  
shadows.  
        "Masher."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "Ray."  
        Ray jumped and spun a  
hand to his chest as he looked at  
the hat twirling Mountie who'd  
been lying in wait for him  
outside the archive.  
        "Fraser, don't do  
that to a man, you almost gave me a  
heart attack."  
        "I want to know  
what's going on Ray."  
        "On?  
There's nothing going on."  
        "You  
never come to see me.. I thought.. that by coming  
when Huey told  
me you were sick you would see that I was  
sorry about the way I reacted to what happened. But.."  
        "Oh, Benni.. I'm  
sorry.. I was just embarrassed.. I  
didn't mean anything when I  
told you to go to hell."  
        "Are you gay, Ray?"  
        Ray stared at him.  
        "The Lieutenant  
told me what happened.. I could  
understand you issuing a very public  
rant about *not* being  
Gay at the time.. Out of sheer self preservation..  
But if  
you are.. If you are living with Huey because you're  
lovers.. I want to know."  
        Ray saw his sister coming  
over Fraser's shoulder, she  
was thankfully out of hearing range.  
But she wouldn't be for  
long.  
        "Is it the clothes  
Fraser? You know if it's the  
clothes, that's great.. That's just  
the look I was looking  
for.. Rampant Gayness.. To lure out the son of a bitch who  
took a shot at me in the car park and got at my locker."  
        He  
saw a look he couldn't interpret pass over Fraser's  
face.  
        "I'm only pretending  
to be Gay."  
        Then  
he threw his arms around Fraser's neck.  
        "But  
what the hell everyone seems to think you and me  
were a real close  
team anyway. Wanna pretend to be my main  
squeeze?" he said giving a little thrust of the hips  
against Fraser's loving the way it felt to be pressed up  
close to the man he'd admitted to himself was the love of his  
life.  
        -Say yes, say yes, say  
yes. Say it and Huey's history..  
I'll teach you things about your  
body that you never  
imagined you could feel.. I'll crack that perfect mountie  
facade and make you howl with pleasure.. I'll spend the rest  
of  
my life letting you know you're the most precious thing  
in mine.-  
        Fraser shoved him away,  
then stormed off down the  
corridor. Ray came up against the wall  
a hand to his chest  
his heart breaking into a million little pieces.  
        "You're I'm so gay  
I'm flaming act is really good,  
Ray," Frannie said as she  
arrived.  
        Then she saw his face  
and set down her files to cluck a  
little.  
        "Did he hit your  
bruises? I'll hit him for that."  
        "I'm  
O.K.. Stop clucking."  
        -It's  
not my bruises that's hurting-  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
          
        Huey didn't even try  
to make any moves on Ray when he  
got home. He watched Ray drift  
through the apartment, too  
distraught to even reject Huey's little efforts towards  
reconciliation. He thought he might have gotten somewhere  
when Ray climbed into the bed, instead of setting up the  
Futon, but then Ray hugged a pillow and kept his back to  
him.  
        Huey took the hint and  
turned out the lights. Laying  
beside him, wide awake as Ray went  
off into a restless  
sleep. He was still awake when Ray started talking in his  
sleep, replaying the scene in the corridor in his sleep, then started  
crying and let out a positively heart breaking wail of "Benni, please.."  
        On one hand, Huey  
felt completely sympathetic, he knew  
how it felt to be head over  
heels for a dead straight man.  
He couldn't believe he was so wrong about Fraser, but deep  
down he felt a sense of smug satisfaction. Now that Ray had  
finally  
made his move on Fraser and had it rejected he  
didn't have to worry about Fraser stealing him away any  
more. Ray was his, and if things went well, would be his for  
a  
long time to come.  
        A little smile touched  
his face. He'd ring his mother  
in the morning and tell her he'd  
finally found his love mate  
and to start planning that Gay wedding  
she'd talked about  
wanting to arrange for him once he found a man he felt he  
could settle down and grow old with.  
        He reached out to touch  
Ray, but even in his sleep and  
in need of the comfort, Ray rejected  
him. With a sigh, Huey  
rolled over and tried to sleep. Ray would  
get over it, and  
the fact he shot at his car. Then he'd show him how much he  
was  
wanted. He went off to sleep fantasising about the way  
he'd ditch Dewey and take Ray as his official partner on the  
line  
and a nice romantic little dinner in a gay friendly  
restaurant where he'd ask Ray to be his life partner too.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray climbed out of bed  
in the morning, pissed off that  
Huey could be lying there, hugging  
a pillow and smiling so  
contentedly. Muttering I love's you in his sleep.  
        -Probably having a dream  
about Hiram-  
        He  
felt like picking up a pillow to whap him, but  
instead went through  
his draws and pulled out another pair  
of those spray on jeans. The black ones, they suited his  
mood. The blood red vest, the black silk shirt, and the silk  
and  
wool blend matching coat. Let Welsh complain. It was the  
only thing  
in his new wardrobe that reflected his mood.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
          
        Welsh didn't complain,  
he just gave Ray the evil eye  
all day. Then told him he didn't  
want to see that outfit  
again either.  
        "Fine," snapped  
Ray. "Next time, I'll be flaming gay  
with leather and chains.  
So gay that women will be saying  
what a pity and the men will be saying get outta my face  
Homo or how bout it."  
        "And don't come  
back with that attitude either. I've  
been giving you a lot of slack,  
but unless you smarten up  
your act, I'll sic the Police Psychologist on you and have  
you declared unfit for duty till you get your head sorted  
out."  
        Ray's response to that  
was to walk off singing "I  
wanna be straight," the old  
song by Ian Dury and the Block  
heads at the top of his lungs, only  
in his version the  
lyric's were somewhat different.  
        "Don' wanna be straight.  
Don' wanna be straight, I  
wanna be Gay an Happy and totally in  
your face."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray caught a taxi to  
the paint shop, and started  
patting the dash board to the primal  
beat of a song on the  
driver's tape deck. He liked it so much he offered the  
driver 20 bucks for his tape when he climbed out and got it.  
        He  
planned to pop it into Huey's stereo the next time  
he chased his  
dark lover around.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey met Ray at the spray  
shop and watched him roam  
around his newly sprayed car, running  
a hand over the slick  
body. Squatting, and bending to examine the  
car from just  
about every angle. He was whistling that incredible song  
he'd paid the cabbie to get the tape of and moving to the  
primal beat in his head.  
        Huey drooled, watching  
those hands, running over that  
metal, the colour of his own skin,  
imagining them running  
over his own skin. And that tune Ray was whistling, the way  
his  
body was moving. And the little snatches of song he  
broke into under his breath now and then..  
        "Working up an appetite,  
for some love now,  
          
Working up an appetite, always learning  
          
Working up an appetite, lust for justice  
          
Working up an appetite, appetite."  
        And  
the way Ray's hands moved over that dark metal,  
stroking and caressing  
the car to that rhythm in his head.  
It was giving Huey an appetite and it wasn't justice he had  
a lust  
for. He'd worn a knee length coat and kept it  
buttoned up. He'd gotten off just watching Ray. That had  
necessitated a trip to the bathroom to clean up. He  
returned to watch it again, and came to the conclusion that  
if  
Ray didn't stop torturing him and soon he'd have to take  
a trip  
to the station and ask them to lock him up till Ray  
got into something baggy.  
        "O.K. Pay the guy  
what he wants.. There's not so much  
as an air bubble on it."  
        Huey paid the money.  
It was worth every dollar, just to  
watch Ray moving around so damn  
sensually, bending and stretching in those  


second skin pants for an hour and a half. |   |   
---|---|---  
  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
  
  
        He followed Ray's car's  
through the streets and out off  
the city to a deserted stretch  
of wilderness. As he climbed  
out of the car he decided he'd pull  
his gun if Ray just  
wanted to tease him again. Then use it on himself. He  
couldn't take it anymore.  
        Ray climbed out of the  
car, like a woman, and a lady at  
that. Rising gracefully, he then  
slammed the door and  
sprawled himself on the hood propping his head up on a hand,  
running  
his hand over the slick metal in circles.  
        Huey drooled.  
        "You  
want me."  
        "Uh-hu."  
        "Soooo Bad."  
        "Uh-hu."  
        "Say you're  
sorry."  
        "I'm  
sorry."  
        "Not  
good enough."  
        Huey  
hit the dirt and grovelled.  
        "O.K  
that's good enough," Ray said.  
        Huey  
looked up and Ray rolled over the hood and came  
down on the passenger  
side and opened the door. Huey bounded  
up and raced around the  
car. Ray climbed in, adjusting the  
seat.  
        "O.K strip.. And  
make it good.. and I *might* decide  
to stop torturing you."  
        Huey started stripping.  
        "I said make  
it good."  
        Huey  
started sensuously stripping. Ray grinned and  
unzipped those oh  
so tight pants freeing his sex and stroked  
himself while he watched.  
By the time Huey's pants hit the  
dirt he was as eager to take it to the line as Huey was.  
        "Come on out and  
let me.."  
        "Oh,  
no.. It's my turn."  
        "Your  
bruises."  
        Ray's  
suggestion about what to do with the bruises was  
obscene. Huey  
was positively firm and wouldn't budge on the  
point. Ray finally  
came out of the car, in frustration. Huey  
grabbed him and kissed  
him passionately, then lifted him onto  
the hood of the Riv.  
        "The Passenger seat's  
good for you," Huey said with a  
little growl of desire.  
        Ray's body splayed over  
the hood, and his leg's wrapped  
around Huey's thigh's as Huey impaled  
him hard and fast.  
        "But this is good  
for me."  
        Ray's  
voice rang out, over and over as Huey paid him  
back for two day's  
worth of teasing. At first Ray liked it,  
seeing Huey getting so  
Hot over him turned him right on, but  
as Huey's thrusts got harder,  
faster and deeper they hurt.  
Huey was out of control and Ray proved he'd learned the most  
important  
lesson Huey had taught him, with a loud roar of  
stop! And squeezing down on him with all his might. His legs  
wrapped  
tight around Huey to prevent him making another deep  
thrust and  
he came up arm swinging, hand flying up to slap  
Huey so hard his head snapped around.  
        Huey stopped, purely  
in shock. Ray dropped back down  
panting.  
        "God. The only thing  
missing here is the cuffs around  
my wrists."  
        That did it. Huey sex  
withered and Ray let out a  
shuddering breath of relief and unwound  
his legs, letting  
Huey withdraw. Then he slid down on distinctly shaky legs.  
Huey noticed he was still hard.  
        "Assume the position  
Mister."  
        Huey  
assumed it. He felt Ray's hands touching him.  
Heard the rip of  
plastic and shuddered letting out a long  
shuddering sigh when Ray proved he was still the worlds  
greatest tease by slowly oh so slowly penetrating him. The  
way he had when he'd made love to him in his sleep dreaming  
about  
initiating Fraser to the arts of love Ray Vecchio style.  
        Then  
Ray was wrapping arms around him letting his hands  
do the walking,  
while he nipped on Huey's ear.  
        "What do you say?"  
        "I'm ssssoooorrrrry."  
        "I could *Make*  
you sorry."  
        "You  
did that the moment.. you mentioned.. the  
cuffs.."  
        "You hurt me.. And  
I'm gonna hurt you.. But not that  
way.. You're going to enjoy this,  
Jack..."  
        Command or promise..  
it didn't matter. Ray made him  
scream with sheer ecstasy, then  
withdrew, adjusting his  
pants, and while Huey was still trembling in post coital  
bliss, Ray raided Huey's pockets to find his keys. He wound  
down  
the window and closed the car door, then moved around  
it and over to Huey's car and took the cap off a tires  
valve, and jammed a twig in, then he returned to the Riv and  
climbed  
into the driver's seat. Huey reared up as Ray  
started the Riv and jumped back.  
        "Have fun getting  
home Jack.. By the time you get  
there, I'll be long gone."  
        With that Ray put the  
car into reverse and hit the  
accelerator. The car shoot backwards  
and Huey watched him  
spin the wheel. That sleek machine spun around, then it was  
roaring  
off in a cloud of dust.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey wasn't initiated  
into the Rooks without learning a  
thing or two. Like how to hot  
wire a car. Five minute's  
after Ray roared off, Huey was speeding after him. When the  
car  
started fish tailing, he stopped, and climbed out to  
check all the tires and discovered the half flat tire at the  
back.  
        With a curse he got to  
work on getting the tire off and  
replaced with the spare.  
        Ray didn't need much  
time. Just enough to stuff all his  
clothes into his suitcase, which  
was tucked into the back of  
the Riv. He went back up to bring down  
the rest in arm loads  
that were tossed on the back of the seat.  
His toiletries  
were next then he crossed the street to the little corner  
shop and brought a lipstick, and returned to leave a message  
on  
Huey's mirror.  
        Jack pulled in five minute's  
after he departed, and  
discovered Ray's last parting shot. Getting  
the locks  
changed. He had to shoot out the lock and kick his own door  
open.  
Ray made no attempt to hide the fact he'd emptied his  
drawers and  
side of the wardrobe. Door's hung open and  
empty, and hanger's dangled denuded of clothes in the open  
wardrobe.  
        And there in Crimson  
Lake Lipstick on his mirror was  
Ray's message.  
        Not so Dear Jack.  
        (Kiss Kiss kiss) This  
is me kissing you good bye.  


  | Ray. |   |   
---|---|---|---  
  
        Huey sunk down on the  
bed and let out a howl.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Fraser opened his door  
to find Ray on his doorstep with  
a suitcase.  
        "Hi, Benni. Can  
I sleep on your couch tonight?"  
        Fraser's  
gaze ran up and down his body, taking in his  
Fuck me I like it  
clothes, then he slammed the door in Ray's  
face.  
        "Guess not."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Mrs Vecchio opened the  
door to find Ray there holding a  
case in his arms, covered in piles  
of expensive clothes.  
        "Raimondo, you're  
back!"  
        "I'm  
back."  
        She  
ushered him in, and gaped when he walked up the  
stairs. Now she  
knew what Frannie had meant when she said  
her brother was dressed like he was a male hooker. Those  
pants. There was only one word for the way he was dressed.  
Sinful.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
          
        Huey avoided his desk,  
till Dewey came after him.  
        "What's  
he wearing today?"  
        "Denim,  
Leather chap's, chain's, studs and an  
earing."  
        Huey pulled his gun out  
very carefully and held it out  
to his partner.  
        "Take this."  
        Dewey took it. Huey  
marched into the bull pen. And  
discovered Dewey wasn't exaggerating.  
Ray was standing by his  
desk, with Frannie. His long legs encased  
in oh so tight  
blood red denim/lycra blend jeans, tight white leather  
chaps, white leather biker boots, a blood red silk shirt,  
with a white leather vest covered in chains and studs. To  
top it off, he had his police cap on. The police banding,  
covered with a band of studs and an earing with a tiny  
diamond hung from his ear, and glittered in the light.  
        Frannie held out the  
files and the ones on the top of  
the pile slid off and hit the  
floor. Every woman who had  
paid her to drop them, plus two of the men watched as Ray  
retrieved the scattered papers and files. Huey walked out  
into the corridor then started bashing his head against a  
wall till Dewey dragged him away.  
        He might have started  
it up again, if he hadn't seen a  
face from his past, a face belonging  
to a man he'd thought  
long dead and gone. The man who meant as much to him as  
Fraser did to Ray. And when he saw that man, Ray ceased to  
exist for that moment in time.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "Vecchio! My office,  
now."  
        Ray sauntered  
into Welsh's office, closing the door  
behind him, and tipped his  
hat back.  
        "You wanted me sir."  
        Welsh looked him  
up and down and dropped into his seat.  
        "Don't  
even think of saying it."  
        Ray  
just grinned.  


  |   |   
---|---|---  
  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
  
  
        Everyone in the bull  
pen looked around at the very  
clear sound of Ray, screeching "WHAT?!"  
Then watched as he  
went into an explosive burst of arm waving,  
pacing, spinning  
and desk leaning. Welsh for his part seemed to  
be impassive.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "A Partner! I don't  
need a partner, I already got  
Fraser."  
        "I was under the  
impression that partnership bit the  
dust."  
        -Oooohhh, not only sticking  
the knife in, but twisting  
it-  
        "Now you've got  
an official partner. To take his  
place."  
        "I don't want an  
official partner. I don't need one.  
I.."  
        "Don't have a choice,"  
Welsh said firmly.  
        Ray  
heard the door open, and turned hostile to see Huey  
enter with  
a tall dark handsome man of the same age and  
build.  
        "Ray, Meet Detective  
Hiram Westbourne, Hiram, Meet  
Raymond Vecchio."  
        -HIRAM! That's the love  
of Jack's life. Hmmmph. It  
didn't take him long to replace me.-  
        "A pleasure to meet  
you, Jack has been telling me all  
about you, Nice suit, LS clothing,  
right." Hiram said  
extending his black kidskin glove covered hand out to Ray.  
        Ray ignored him, looking  
at Huey.  
        "He  
transferred in from the 15th.. Just made Detective.  
He needs someone  
to show him the ropes."  
        "Yeah, well, you  
can show him, I'm sure you'll have a  
looooot of fun," Ray  
snapped and stormed out.  
        The three men watched  
him go.  
        "Attitude.  
I like Attitude. We'll get on just fine."  
        Welsh  
stared at his back. Huey looked at him.  
        "Ray's  
not very happy about this, is he, sir."  
        "That's  
an understatement."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray stomped down the  
corridor and got caught up in a  
milling crowd. He felt a hand slide  
over his butt and  
squeeze. He froze and then spun.  
        "Alright who groped  
my butt?"  
        Everyone  
looked at him. He jumped when it happened  
again, people snickered.  
He didn't notice the black clad  
member of the male species with the cowboy hat who kept  
moving around behind his back.  
        "Fess up, right  
now Mister, I need someone to do some  
heavy duty groping with me  
for an audience."  
        Fifteen hands went up,  
mostly women's though 3 were  
men's.  
        "Hands down everyone  
with long nails."  
        Half  
the hands dropped.  
        "Hands  
down everyone who's a woman. Or can't you tell,  
I'm as Gay as they  
come."  
        All but three hands went  
down.  
        "You  
don't look very happy to me, son," a quavery  
voice said, and  
Ray almost blushed as a lady of extremely  
advanced years leaned close.  
        He smiled for her, flashing  
teeth, she patted his check.  
        "That's  
better," she said, then moved away, giving  
his butt a pat  
on the way.  
        "Nice buns, sonny."  
        He did blush at  
that, and looked around at the three  
remaining hands and people  
moved so he could see the three  
men giving him hopeful looks, when their eyes weren't  
mentally stripping him slowly.  
        Ray pointed at one. The  
ugly lank haired biker type.  
        "In  
your dreams, mister."  
        That  
one slunk off. Ray looked at the other two. One in  
black and one  
in a business suit with a brief case, he was  
kind of cute, blue eyes like Benni, even looked a little  
like him so Ray pointed to him.  
        "Finish this sentence..  
I wanna be your.."  
        "Underwear."  
        -Oh yeah that is  
just soooo original - *not*-  
        Ray  
pointed at the one in black with the Cowboy hat,  
tall, dark and  
handsome. Didn't look a bit like Fraser but  
he'd do in a pinch.  
        "You.. Finish that  
sentence."  
        "Skin.  
'cause it's all over you and that's what I'd  
love to be."  
        The women shivered and  
Ray heard an oh yeah or three  
and skin is good.  
        -Uh-hu, you'll do just  
fine.-  
        "Name."  
        "Mitch."  
        "Be here, one  
hour, leather and chain's, and you can  
grope me a little. Come  
with a Harley and you can take your  
best shot," Ray said,  
then shoved through the crowd and  
stomped on his way, with Mitch  
on his tail and enjoying the  
view immensely while wondering where  
he could get a Harley at  
short notice.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Fraser opened his door,  
saw Ray's leather and chains  
outfit and slammed the door again.  
         "Welsh told me  
to wear it," Ray yelled at the door  
before he jangled off  
down the hall.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
          
        "Did you see what  
he was wearing today?" a voice  
asked.  
        "Oh man, did I..  
I don't know what closet he's been  
hiding in.. But I wish I'd been  
it."  
        Ray snickered as the  
jangles of his chains made the two  
gay uniformed cops discussing  
him jump, spin, then bolt. He  
continued on his way to find Mitch  
standing exactly where  
he'd told him to be, in tight leather and chains. There was  
even  
a dog collar around his neck with a chain that dangled  
down at  
crotch level.  
        "That Harley out  
front your's?"  
        "It  
is for the next hour."  
        "Good  
enough. Alright, march on through there, saunter  
into the bull  
pen, look around and ask where Vecchio's desk  
is. Then plant yourself  
in my chair. I'll be in once they've  
all had a good look at you.  
After that, play along."  
        Mitch scuttled off.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Once more Ray was the  
center of attention as he jangled  
through the bull pen. Mitch was  
seated in his chair and rose  
when Ray approached.  
        "Sorry I was late,  
Lover," Ray announced, then  
grabbed him around the back of  
the head and made Mitch  
regret wearing *tight* leather by giving him a  
toungsilectomy.  
        Things got extremely  
quiet and people started checking  
watches. Mitch's arms went around  
Ray to grab his butt and  
squeeze. A little pelvic action later, Ray pushed Mitch back  
into  
the chair and used his foot to push it back a bit, then  
moved around  
his desk.  
        "I just gotta grab  
a few things, then we're outta  
here."  
        Mitch couldn't have cared  
if a bomb dropped on his head  
at that moment. He didn't have a  
mind left, it had just been  
blown away.  
        Ray tucked some papers  
into a file and then tucked it  
under his arm and looked down at  
Mitch. He reached down to  
grab the end of that chain and touched him up while he was  
at it, then he turned, flipping the chair over his shoulder.  
Mitch  
rose and followed him, eager as a puppy.  
        Huey forget all about  
Hiram when he finished his tour  
of the precinct and walked back  
into the bull pen in time to  
see Ray leading a leather and chain  
clad member of the male  
species, Raimondousdroolis. Behind Huey's  
back, Hiram  
drooled.  
        Ray ignored them walking  
past with the ever so happy  
Mitch on his tail. Huey and Hiram both  
spun and followed  
them right out of the station and onto the stairs.  
        There they watched Ray  
climb onto a Harley and hold his  
hand out. Mitch reached into a  
tight pocket and pulled out a  
key and slapped it in his hand, then  
tucked his chain into  
his belt, and climbed up behind Ray, wrapping his arms  
around his back, sliding so close even air couldn't pass  
between them.  
        Mitch took the chance  
to do a little neck and ear  
nibbling as Ray revved the bike, then  
roared off down the  
street.  
        "I've created a  
monster," Huey muttered.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray took the bike to  
within a block of his house and  
stopped it under some trees. Climbing  
down he looked at the  
flushed and very aroused urban cowboy. Did  
he have blue  
eyes? He didn't think he'd had blue eyes before, but then in  
the  
light of the station things looked different.  
        -Oh, what the hell-  
        He gave Mitch another  
kiss, unzipping him at the same  
time and used his hand to get Mitch  
off. Mitch groaned  
appreciatively, hands clinging to Ray's vest. Looking into  
those definitely blue eyes Ray imagined they were Fraser's  
eyes he was looking into and gave Mitch a hand job he'd  
never forget. When it was over, Ray pulled a handkerchief  
from his coat pocket to tidy things up and rezipped him.  
        "There. You got  
what you wanted. Now get outta here.  
And if I catch you hanging  
around the station, I'll find  
something to charge you with, toss you in a cell and see how  
you  
like making friends with the kind of guys who own these  
kinds of  
bikes."  
        With that he strode off  
down the street and Mitch  
watched him go with a lust struck sigh.  


  |   |   |   
---|---|---|---  
  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
  
          
        Ray was glad his mother  
was in the kitchen when he got  
home, because it meant he could  
duck up the stairs without  
getting caught with an erection straining against those oh  
so tight jeans.  
        He managed to make it  
to his room, to raid his  
wardrobe. Pulling out one of the stylish  
suits Timothy gave  
him, Ray made it out the door and into the bathroom.  
He  
heard his mother tapping on the door a moment later.  
        "Raimondo."  
        "Yeah, it's  
me. I gotta take a shower and get  
changed."  
        "Not into another  
one of those sinful outfits. What  
will people think."  
        -That I'm gay.-  
        "Don't worry Ma.  
Fraser won't talk to me when he sees  
me in that stuff. I'm gonna  
change into a nice suit that  
won't have you going "Aie Ie Ie."  
        "Are you going back  
out?"  
        "Yeah  
Ma. They gave me a new partner."  
        "What  
do you need a new partner for. You have Fraser,  
he's a nice boy,  
he takes care of you."  
        "Yeah. I said the  
same thing, but I don't have a  
choice, they assigned him to me  
and I gotta put up with baby  
sitting the new kid on the block till  
he's ready to be cut  
loose. I don't gotta like it though."  
        "Will you be home  
for dinner?"  
        "I  
don't know. I wanna see Fraser. I gotta see him, to  
tell him about  
my new partner. Tell you what. I'll take my  
phone and let you know."  
        "You do that, and  
let me see what you're wearing  
before you leave. You are *not*  
walking out of this house  
looking like a Gay poster boy again. What will the  
neighbours think."  
        "I told you Ma..  
I dress like that for a reason, O.K.  
I gotta flush a bad cop out  
back at the station."  
        "Find another way."  
        -Not until I'm finished  
torturing Huey-  
        "Sorry  
Ma.. But I promise, I won't wear the Leather  
and Chain's again,  
alright."  
        "No. But I suppose  
it will have to do.. At least the  
other outfight you wore looked  
stylish."  
        "I've got a whole  
case full of clothes just like that  
Ma. I'll wear those instead."  
        He heard her walking  
away muttering about the  
neighbours and her friends thinking her  
nice Heterosexual son  
was gay and the shame, oh the shame of it.  
        Rolling his eyes he set  
his suit down looked around to  
make sure there was a towel then  
started stripping off. Once  
he got under the water and reached  
for the soap he got a  
good lather up and let his mind wander. Images of Huey and  
memories of their showers together filled his mind. His  
erection throbbed even harder.  
        He almost shut off the  
hot water, but then he shoved  
the image of Huey out of his mind  
and thought about Fraser.  
The way he walked into that file cabinet.  
He remembered the  
feel of his body against him, pushing the rejection  
that  
followed right out of his head and imagined Fraser being in  
the  
shower with him, doing all the things Huey had done and  
when he  
came it left him so weak kneed he sunk to the  
porcelain on his hands and knees.  
        Then he cried. It wasn't  
fair. That the only way he'd  
ever have Fraser was in his dreams  
and fantasies. And in a  
fit of anger, justified anger, he'd flipped off the man he  
could have, and there was no way to get him back. Not with  
the Handsome Hiram hovering around.  
        "God, I'm a wreck,"  
he muttered as he pushed himself  
up and let the water wash his  
tears away.  
        "Pull yourself together,  
before Ma starts asking  
questions."  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        -Oh, they look soooo  
disappointed- Ray thought as he  
walked through the bull pen.  
        His suit was a light  
pea green, the *real* thing, not  
some street tailor copy. Baggy  
it wasn't, but neither was it  
tight. It fit the way a good man's  
suit ought to fit, letting everyone know  
he had a good body hiding  
under that wool/silk blend suit and shirt. The  
vest was the same  
chocolate brown brocade vest he'd worn with the green  
outfit. He  
looked good and he knew it. His mother had been thrilled with  
his  
selection.  
        "Much better. You'll  
attract a nice woman in that,"  
she'd said.  
        -I don't wanna nice woman-  
he'd thought but he hadn't  
been game to say that.  
        He could just imagine  
how she'd react if he'd answered,  
and tacked on I want Benni. He  
heaved a sigh, Benni had well  
and truly rejected him. He wanted  
to kick himself for that  
show he'd put on earlier, he doubted Huey would take him  
back even if he grovelled. No best friend, no lover, and a  
partner he didn't want. How could life get any worse.  
        He was yanked into a  
closet, and almost expected to be  
kissed breathless as he smelt  
Huey's aftershave.  
        -Kiss me and all I'm  
all yours-  
        His dark  
ex-lover closed the door and looked him over.  
        "Well  
that's much better."  
        "It's  
not for your benefit. I'm gonna be back in the  
Fuck me outfits  
tomorrow."  
        Huey almost groaned.  
        "Do you realise  
what everyone is saying about you?"  
        "Yeah,  
but they were saying it before you .."  
        "Oh  
no. There's a difference between saying you're  
probably sleeping  
with Fraser, to saying you'll fuck  
anything that moves. I heard someone saying he'd like to get  
you  
into a closet and .."  
        "I know there are  
a few gay guys here who'd like to  
get a piece of me."  
        "You better be ready  
for the sort of come ons you're  
going to get."  
        "I've already had  
my butt pinched, stroked and  
groped, so what else can they do?  
Apart from come out into  
the open about it and ask me out."  
        "You may think you're  
*experienced* now, Ray, but  
you're still a newbie. You couldn't  
handle it when I got  
excited what are you going to do if someone .."  
        "The same damn thing.  
It stopped you."  
        "Some  
guys would just get more excited about it. Some  
guy's like it a  
little rough. And you can't tell how a guy  
is gonna act till you take it to the line. By then it's too  
late,  
don't get revenge on me by sleeping with any guy who  
makes a move on you just to flaunt it in my face. Because  
you could end up in a worse situation than the one you're  
punishing me for. You could end up with a guy who'll hurt  
you the way Gordon did.. And that is nothing to the damage  
some guys can do.."  
        -Oh that's a laugh, considering  
how if I hadn't stopped  
you would have done as much damage-  
        "You should have  
thought about that before you fucked  
me so hard I hadda go see  
a doctor."  
        Sincere regret appeared  
on Huey's face.  
        "Nothing  
you can do can make me feel worse about that  
than I already do,  
Ray. You said you'd hurt me and you did.  
God.. Even Tim who's as  
Gay as they come didn't satisfy me  
as much as being with you did. I rang my mother and told her  
all  
about you."  
        -He told his mother about  
me, oh boy did I get under  
his skin or what-  
        "Just knowing I  
can never have that again is enough.  
You want to walk around in  
those tight pant's looking good  
enough to eat to torture me. Do it.. Because it is torture..  
Knowing  
I can't touch you anymore. But please don't get  
yourself into more trouble than you can handle just to get  
back at me for what I did."  
        -I don't intend to-  
        "We still don't  
know what the Rooks will do now  
Edorado's brilliant plan for pay  
back failed."  
        -Ohgod. I forgot all  
about that.-  
        "Hiram  
was a Rook too.. These guys have to be watching  
us planning their  
next move. They'll see him.. And think  
we're planning a little payback of our own. Fordam style."  
        "Well maybe we should.  
We're cops damn it, it's our  
job and our duty to do everything  
we can to take down the  
Rooks."  
        "Vince tried. He's  
the only one who got close, and  
look what happened to him. I have  
seen the file. I know how  
he died Ray. I know what they did to  
him.. I don't want that  
to happen to me, and I sure as hell don't  
want to see it  
happen to you or Hiram."  
        "Well it's gonna  
happen isn't it. Wether we act or  
not. I say we act, at least we'll  
take some of em down before we go out in  
a blaze of degradation."  
        "No.. I've been  
thinking.. I know things.. Things I  
never even told Vince.. I know  
*everything*.. I *could* do  
what Vince couldn't.. But a few of them are always gonna  
slip through the net.. If I bust that gang.. I might win the  
battle.  
But I won't be alive to savour my victory. And that's  
why I've  
never even tried. I don't wanna die. Every cop  
who's tried taking them down has died. But they know if I go  
after  
them.. I will take them down.. And that's all I need..  
To get a  
message out to them that if they don't let it go,  
I'll take em down so hard and fast they won't know what hit  
em."  
        "If you can do it,  
why haven't you done it?"  
        "Because  
a lot of people will die in the process. You  
don't know what they  
do to new initiates, Ray. They use  
brain washing.. You don't know hard it was for me to break  
away.. They'll fight, and they've got an armoury to protect  
their  
strong hold in the Devil's triangle. You know what  
happens to any patrol car that tries to pass through the  
area.. They'd use more than Molotov cocktails. You ever seen  
terminator  
2\. It'd be like the scene out of that movie where  
the Terminator  
was keeping the cops at Bay. I saw guys in  
military uniforms. They have people buried in every agency.  
They've  
got people in the Military, they've got access to  
Military weapons. It'd take a Military strike to take it  
out. And there'd be bodies everywhere and kids who's only  
crime was being just the sort of people the Rooks recruit  
would be in the front line. The *real* minds behind the  
crimes would get away and just start building the gang up  
again. And you took down the only person I *knew* for a fact  
was  
in the hierarchy. But I can still put the fear of god  
into them with the threat."  
        "So do it."  
        "It'll mean  
nothing if you don't listen to me. They'll  
just get some guy to  
make a move on you and carry out their  
plan regardless."  
        "Alright already.  
I never planned on sleeping around  
any way."  
        Huey relaxed.  
        "My  
mother would have a heart attack if I became a Gay  
Slut. Already  
she's making noises about my clothes. And  
thanks to you.. I don't think I could ever go back to the life I had."          
        "So start courting  
Fraser."  
        "I  
put the move on him and he well and truly put me  
down."  
        -That's what I thought-  
Huey thought.  
        "I  
know how you feel.. O.k.. I'm gonna be here,  
watching Hiram wishing  
he wasn't so damn straight. Lusting  
over him the way you lust over Fraser."  
        -Oh ho so you put a move  
on him and he said no way.-  
        "We  
can't have who we really want.. but why should  
both of us be miserable,  
we'll just end up snarling and  
snapping at each other again and being reamed out for it,  
again. I'll do *anything* you ask.. if you'd forgive me. I  
swear it will *never* happen again."  
        Ray thought about it.  
O.K so he wanted Fraser. To hell  
with it, he was in love with the  
big lug. But his body was  
still in lust with Huey. Just being in the closest with him  
was  
making him glad he wasn't in tight pants again. And if  
Fraser couldn't return his feelings that way. Well he could  
do  
a lot worse than Huey. As Huey had pointed out.  
        "Alright, down on  
your knees."  
        Huey  
went down, hands on his thighs, head bowed in  
total penitence.  
        "I didn't say beg."  
        Huey looked up.  
Ray just raised a brow and pointed to  
the now quite obvious bulge  
in his pants. Huey took the  
hint fast, and unzipped his pants and freed Ray's sex,  
highly pleased to see he was already horny. His mouth closed  
over  
it and he did something he'd learned from Goldie, which  
was short  
for Golden throat due to the fact Goldie was the  
deep throat expert.  
        Ray's knees almost buckled  
and Huey's arms wrapped  
around his legs holding him up. He hadn't  
done this to  
anyone but Goldie, it wasn't exactly easy to fight the gag  
reflex, but it was an act of total desperation to keep his  
lover.  
        "Oooooh G'd."  
        Ray had to bite  
his hand to keep from crying out as  
Huey gave him the absolute  
best oral sex he'd ever had in  
his life. His body slid down Huey's when it was over and he  
wrapped  
his arms around him while the last tremors ran  
through his body.  
        "I had no idea..  
you could do that."  
        "It's  
not easy.. And I don't like doing it. They made  
me do it, at the  
Reformatory. It's the only thing that kept me  
from being raped  
sometimes. But.. like I told you.. I'd do  
*anything* for you."  
        Ray stroked his back  
and kissed him.  
        "You  
always know just what to say Jack. So how do we  
play this?"  
        "That's up to you  
Ray. You lay down the rules, and  
I'll play by them."  
        "I'm through pretending,  
Jack. If I take you back..  
It's gonna be out in the open and I  
don't care what any KKK  
sympathiser thinks."  
        He felt Huey stiffen.  
        "You ready  
to face the flack?"  
        With  
a little sigh Huey shuddered.  
        "I  
couldn't take it right now."  
        "O.k..  
I'll wait a little longer.. But I ain't gonna  
hide it from my family  
anymore. I'm telling Ma. If she kicks  
me out.. I'll move back in  
with you, If Ma takes it O.K..  
You move in with me. Oh.. And I think it's time we went back  
to  
that car yard.. Maybe that'll sweeten up my mother..and  
make her think it's not so bad."  
        "Can I make a suggestion?"  


  | "Sure lover." |   
---|---|---  
  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray wailed when he saw  
the MG he had his eye on had  
been sold. Then Huey slapped his arm.  
Ray looked around and  
pointed.  
        "Look at that baby.  
How many brownie points do you  
think that would be worth? My Mother  
put a smile so big on  
my father's face that I thought it would crack after he gave  
her  
a bright Red one of those."  
        Ray's eyes lit up, like  
a nova, when he saw the price  
banner across its window. The car  
was not only a better  
prestige car than the MG, it was also cheaper. He couldn't  
believe it. He ran to the car Huey pointed at and started  
checking it out.  
        -Oh yes! Ma would be  
positively ecstatic if I gave  
her this car. I could smash up her  
favourite trinkets and  
she'd just shrug it off for this. Please god, let it be in  
good shape mechanically. I need the brownie points.-  
        The salesman was more  
than willing to open the hood up  
and let him take a look and go  
into his spiel. By the time  
he was through, Ray was pulling off his coat and handing it  
to  
Huey. He wiggled under the car and pulled out his pocket  
torch  
to look for any problems there and couldn't find any.  
        -Oh man this is tooo  
good to be true. This car is in  
*perfect* condition.-  
        When he wiggled out the  
sales man dangled the keys  
hopefully and invited him to take it  
for a test drive. Ray  
snatched up the keys and dusted himself down, before he  
climbed in took it for a test drive around the block. He  
climbed out beside Huey.  
        "There is a god,"  
he said.  
        Huey pulled  
out his check book and made the Salesman a  
very happy man. Once  
he had the papers in his mother's name  
in his hands Ray made Huey  
a happy man and kissed him  
soundly. The sales man didn't bat a lash and told them to  
tell all their friends where they got their great bargain.  
Unlike some people he knew Gay men had large disposable  
incomes. No children = equals four wheeled babies = equals  
money. Hetro's always haggled and tried to cut a deal,  
family don't you know, every cent counts.  
        He waved them off as  
Huey drove their purchase off the  
lot and followed a Riv that made  
the salesman wonder where  
they'd found a mint 71 model in that shade.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        When Ray got home, he  
gave Tony some money to take  
Maria out for the night, and pay for  
a baby sitter. That  
took care of them. He'd set Frannie up on a date with some  
guy at the station who knew he'd kill him if he messed with  
her.  
So that took care of Frannie. He packed his clothes,  
then slid the bags under the bed. Just in case.  
        His mother wailed about  
cooking all that food for  
nothing. He told her to set the table  
for five, because he  
invited someone back for dinner, and they'd be arriving  
soon. Then he raced back up the stairs to get dressed.  
        He heard her yell, announcing  
it was ready and the beep  
of a horn made him look out the window.  
He saw Huey climbing  
out of the car they'd brought for his mother  
and waved. A  
second car pulled up on the street and Huey headed for it.  
        Ray turned away to look  
at himself in the mirror. He'd  
selected the skin tight denim/lycra  
jeans, silk shirt and  
vest set, this one in the same shade as his skin. You  
couldn't get more obvious. For his mother's sake he pulled  
out the coat and headed out, pulling the coat on and  
buttoned it up as he went. It fell to mid thigh and covered  
up  
all the "enticing" bits, and there was nothing loose  
about it, due to the fact it had been tailor made for  
Timothy it was nice and comfortable in the shoulder and arm  
area,  
while hugging everything from the waist down including  
his thighs.  
        He stopped at the top  
of the stairs and did a squat,  
that was a little on the uncomfortable  
side, so he rose and  
undid a button and tried it again. That was  
better. He heard  
Huey knocking and raced down the stairs. His mother  
came out  
and looked up, her eyes widening when she saw what he  
was  
wearing.  
        "Aie, yie, yie.."  
        He rolled his eyes  
and stopped a few steps away.  
        "How  
do I look?"  
        "Is  
that a woman at the door? It better be."  
        "How  
do I look?"  
        "Well,  
if it's a woman, she'll love the way you  
look."  
        He came the rest of the  
way down and gave her a kiss on  
the cheek then bounded off to answer  
the door. Huey waved to  
his parents and introduced them to Ray,  
before they were  
ushered in.  
        "Oh," was his  
mother response to seeing them.  
        "Ma..  
You remember Jack Huey. I introduced you to him  
years ago."  
        She nodded.  
        "These are his parents,  
introduce yourselves."  
        The  
introductions went ahead with Ray watching the way  
his mother reacted  
to them. The main reaction was mainly  
confusion and nervousness.  
        Dinner went well. He  
was definitely being checked out  
by Huey's parents as was his home.  
Nothing was said by them  
about his relationship with their son,  
on a personal level.  
They mentioned Huey mentioning his Detective  
friend and  
being happy to meet him. He politely accompanied them to the  
door  
while Huey sucked up to his mother by helping her clear  
the table.  
        Then Huey's father pulled  
an envelope out of his pocket  
and handed it to his wife at her  
request. The envelope was  
passed on to Ray.  
        "Give that to your  
mother when you tell her."  


  | "Thank-you." |   
---|---|---  
  
        He got a pat on the cheek.  
        "We just want  
our boy to find someone to settle down  
with who'll make him happy.  
It was a mistake to introduce  
him to Timothy."  
        He wondered how she knew  
he knew Timothy.  
        "Only  
another cop can deal with a cop's life. I'm glad  
he found someone  
he can rely on."  
        Then he got a little  
hug before she was tugged away by  
her Husband who told her not  
to embarrass the poor man and  
then they walked away, Huey's father throwing an arm around  
his  
wife's shoulders. Her leaning toward him, a quick kiss,  
and a butt  
pat.  
        -Now there goes a happy  
couple-  
        Ray closed  
the door after he watched them drive away  
and almost leaning on  
it in relief. It was nice to know he  
measured up as far as Huey's parents were concerned.  
        With a deep breath he  
rolled up his coat and shirts  
sleeve's then marched into the kitchen.  
His mother was sent  
packing to the lounge with a cup of coffee  
and told to put  
her feet then he and Huey cleaned up.  
        Ray knew what his mother  
was like, she'd be back, and  
he was ready for her, he *couldn't*  
come right up and tell  
her he *was* Gay, his throat just seized up when he tried.  
So he took the other route. When she walked back into the  
room, it was to find everything clean and Ray sitting on a  
bench, his legs, wound around Huey's while they were a very  
passionate  
embrace and lip lock.  
        They heard a thud and  
broke it up to look around.  
        "Ma!"  
        They broke apart.  
Ray jumped off the bench and raced to  
his mother's side, cursing  
himself for being such an idiot.  
He checked her pulse, touched her face, then started patting  
it,  
while Huey hovered.  
        "Come on, Ma, open  
your eyes."  
        Her  
eyes fluttered and she drew in a deep shuddering  
breath much to  
Ray's relief, he'd thought for a moment he'd  
given her a heart  
attack.  
        "Ooooh.."  
        Ray helped her to sit  
up.  
        "You almost  
gave me a heart attack," he said.  
        Her  
hand went to her own chest.  
        "You're  
not having pain's are you?" He asked his  
voice going up an  
octave in distress.  
        "You were..kissing  
that man..in my kitchen."  
        "Yes,  
Ma."  
        "You're  
Gay."  
        "Yes  
Ma."  
        She fainted  
again.  
        "Ma!"  
        Huey moved in to  
scoop her up and carry her through to  
the lounge room with the  
clucking Ray on his heels. After  
checking her pulse and loosening her clothing Huey told him to calm down  
and get her a glass of brandy or something. Then he left Ray to tend  
to his  
mother, and went out to sit on the porch steps and wait.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "You're not gonna  
faint on me again, are you, Ma? I  
don't have to call a doctor do  
I?"  
        She slapped his face.  
        "Get out, right."  
        He rose to his feet  
and stepped away.  
        "I  
already packed my bags. I'll be back tomorrow to  
pack up and.."  
        "Did I tell you  
to leave your own home."  
        "It's  
my house, in name only. It's your *home* you  
made it the Family  
*home*. Tell me to get out, and I will."  
        "Did  
it have to be *him*. Why couldn't you fall for a  
nice boy, like  
Benton. Or Gordon, he was a nice Catholic  
boy.. And he comes from such a good family.. And no one  
would say anything if you came out of the closet with Benton  
or  
Gordon, they'd just nod and say.. I knew it all the  
time.."  
        -Ooooh soooo this isn't  
about me being gay, it's about  
me being with a black guy.-  
        "You don't have  
a problem, with me being Gay?"  
        "Of  
course I have a problem with it!"  
        "I  
talked to someone at the church about it Ma.. They  
won't tell me  
to never darken their door step again. It's  
*men* who say it's wrong, there's nothing in the bible that  
say's  
thou shall not be homosexual. Ok.. So I took love your  
fellow man  
a little too literally, but that don't make it a  
sin ma. It's a  
sin when you sleep around.. I'm not sleeping  
around.. We're monogamous.  
Jack's the only guy I ever made  
love to that way."  
        -I won't call what Goldie  
did to me making love, that  
was rape-  
        "Why *him*.. I suspected  
you were gay. Like you're  
father...when you.."  
        "What?!" Ray  
shrieked.  
        He almost  
fainted in pure shock. His father was *gay*!  
        "That's  
why he became an alcoholic. He fell in love  
with someone else..  
another man.. he couldn't handle it.. It  
was different then.. He  
couldn't face the shame or destroy  
the family..and he tried to find his solace in the bottle."  
        "Ohgod."  
        She pulled him down onto  
the couch.  
        "I  
am glad that you didn't let it destroy you like it  
destroyed him..  
I started to suspect it when you brought  
Benton here.. You don't normally bring people home like  
that. And you keep giving your sister the evil eye when she  
tries  
to get his attention, when you should be happy that  
your sister is in love with a nice boy like that. If he was  
just  
your friend you wouldn't care, you would be happy to  
see your sister Marry him.. Because then he would be your  
brother in law. But you don't like that idea."  
        "God, Ma.. I *do*  
love Benton.."  
        "Then  
why are you with that man?"  
        "Cause  
Benni's straight ma."  
        "I  
thought you were. How do you know he's not like  
you? Maybe all  
you need to do is.."  
        "Forget it Ma. I  
hit on Benni and he outright rejected  
me, and he's been slamming  
doors in my face ever since. He  
won't even talk to me. You just gotta get used to me and  
Jack being an item."  
        "But he's *Black*."  
        "I never figured  
you for a racist ma."  
        "I'm  
not but other people are. Do you know what  
they'll do to you for  
being with a Black Man. Ie yi,  
yi. They'll say it's because you're gay.. But it won't be  
that.. So many men and women are coming out of the closet..  
Important  
people. People are more open about it now.. But  
dating someone of another race."  
        "He's American and  
so am I.. What does it matter where  
our ancestor's come from, and  
what colour our skins are."  
        "To  
some people it does. And those people get violent  
about it.. Other  
black people will call you whitey and I-tie  
and tell you to stick  
to your own kind. And then others,  
like us.. The men who think they have so much Machismo, they  
will  
try to prove it.."  
        "I've already been  
given the KKK warning Ma."  
        Her  
hand flew to her mouth.  
        "And  
I didn't let that scare me off. If I spent my  
life caring what  
people think, and let other people do my  
thinking for me, I wouldn't be much of a man, now, would I.  
Pop  
always said I was good for nothing. But I didn't let  
what he thought about me bother me.. I got on with my  
life."  
        She sighed.  
        "He knows.. How  
I feel about Benni.. He feels the same  
way about someone else..  
Instead of torturing ourselves over  
men we can't have.. and turning  
to the bottle and into surly  
drunkards, we turned to each other.  
He's not Benni.. But  
he's the next best thing. Can't you try.. to accept him..  
*us* as a couple.. To ignore what people will say or think..  
We'll  
try not to flaunt it.. He's nervous about the KKK  
element at the station so I'm not coming out about our  
relationship till I've flushed that son of a bitch out and  
its safe to let everyone know he's mine."  
        With another little sigh,  
she gave him a hug, he hugged  
her back.  
        "I'll try.. I don't  
have to like it.. But I'll try."  
        "Can  
he move in?"  
        She  
gave another little sigh and then nodded. He gave  
her a good strong  
bear hug, and she batted at him.  
        "Alright already,  
you're happy, now let me breath,"  
she said.  
        He let her go and rose  
to draw her up to her feet.  
        "We  
got something for you. Something you can show off  
to all your friends."  
        She was curious and let  
him draw her through the house.  
Huey looked around and rose when  
the door opened. Ray gave  
Huey a smile.  
        "Ma say's you can  
move in."  
        "But  
no more necking in my kitchen."  
        "Yes  
Ma."  
        "Yes,  
Mrs Vecchio."  
        "Oh,  
don't call me that," she said, inviting him to  
call her by  
her given name, making Ray give her another bear  
hug.  
        -*sigh* It's so good  
to see him happy again that I can  
put up with all the talk-  
        "Now where is this  
present my Raimondo say's you  
brought me?"  
        "Right this way,"  
Huey said, and lead the way to the  
car."  
        "In the car of course."  
        Huey pulled the  
keys from his pocket, opened the car,  
and then opened the glove  
compartment and pulled out the  
registration papers. Then he handed them to Ray. His mother  
looked  
at him and Ray handed them to her with a grin. She  
looked at them, and saw her own name there. She spun and  
Huey dangled the keys in her face.  
        "You brought me  
a Mercedes Benz!" She shrieked.  
        "It's  
all your's ma.. Second hand. But it's an ex-  
diplomatic Corp car  
and only two years old and comes with  
the same warranty as a new one and it got taken care of real  
good.  
*Jack* paid for it."  
        His mother looked at  
Jack amazed.  
        "A  
car like this, you should give to your own mother."  
        "You  
haven't seen the car my mother drives, besides, I  
owed the money  
that paid for it to Ray. He told me what to  
buy with it."  
        "He didn't have  
to pay me back.. It wasn't like we had  
a deal or anything. He chose  
to buy the car for me to pay me  
back," Ray added.  
        "You can call me  
Ma," she invited Huey, then she spun  
and gave Ray a bear hug  
and spun him around making Huey  
laugh as Ray batted at her shoulders, laughing too.  
        Frannie arrived at that  
time and scrambled out of the  
car very curious. Her date didn't  
even bother hanging around  
in hopes of a good night kiss. He pulled  
her door closed and  
drove away.  
        "What's happening?"  
        Her mother stopped  
hugging the life out of Ray and  
spinning him around, letting him  
go. He reeled into Jack who  
caught him and wrapped his arms around  
him.  
        "Look what your  
brother and Jack brought for me."  
        Frannie  
didn't now what to stare at, Jack Huey hugging  
her smiling brother,  
or the shiny Merc.  
        "My own Mercedes  
Benz.. Ha I can say, does you ever so  
straight son buy you a Merc.  
At least my Boy knows how to  
treat his mother right."  
        "Ohgod, you *really*  
are *gay*."  
        "In  
both the literal and colloquial sense, right  
now," Ray said  
with a laugh.  
        Her face was just so  
classic.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey waited in the closet,  
Ray ran in, closing the door  
and threw himself at Huey. Ray was  
back in his I'm so gay and I'm so hot  
outfit. The day's choice, sky  
blue and a vest of sky blue with fluffy white  
clouds just for a change.  
        They were in a passionate  
lip lock when Welsh walked in  
holding his coat. The coat fell from  
his fingers and his jaw  
hit the floor. Rumours or no rumours, he  
never believed Ray  
was Gay till that moment. Huey well that was  
another thing.  
        Francesca closed the  
door behind Welsh's back, then  
stood in front of it, rocking back  
and forth on her heels  
trying to look nonchalant as she stood guard.  
        Ray and Huey didn't break  
off their mutual  
toungesilectomy till Welsh stepped back and into  
the door  
with a thud. Then they stopped and looked around and did a  
good I'm *Sooooo* embarrassed act.  
        "And here I was  
thinking it was all just an act when  
you said you were coming out  
of the closet," Welsh said  
when he finally found his voice.  
        "Well, I'm literally  
and figuratively in the closet  
when it comes to my relationship  
with Huey. I was just  
trying to take the heat off when I denied it.. And we don't  
want  
everyone to know it. We'll be discrete around the  
station.. At least until we catch that Homophobic KKK man."  
        "Of course,"  
said Welsh "And that little show you  
put on for everyone yesterday.  
That was also in aide of drawing him out,  
without drawing attention  
to your relationship with Huey."  
        It  
took a great deal of effort not to blush. Ray just  
nodded not trusting  
his voice.  
        "And the fact you  
started wearing the most sinful  
clothes you could find and stay  
just short of being indecent  
at the same time as Huey apparently  
shot your baby has  
nothing to do with the fact he shot it."  
        Ray did blush at that.  
        "Mea Culpa..  
I did it to torture him, but I'm still  
wearing them because it  
could bring that KKK man out into the open."  
        "And  
they'll never be seen again after you achieve  
that goal."  
        "God, I hope not,"  
Huey muttered.  
        Welsh  
glared at him.  
        "So  
sue me if I think he looks great in it."  
        "Don't  
worry sir, I'll ditch the tight jeans when I  
flush out our KKK  
man."  
        "And you *will*  
accept your new partner."  
        Ray  
gritted his teeth, then nodded. Welsh smiled ever  
so sweetly.  
        "Then you can stay  
in the closet with Huey," Welsh  
said, and spun, opening the  
door.  
        Frannie bolted. Welsh  
walked away, hardly sparing the  
fleeing Vecchio a second glance.  
        Mean while, Ray draped  
his arms around Huey.  
        "How  
nice.. Official permission to be in the closet  
with you, my second  
favourite place to be with you."  
        "Oh and what's your  
most favourite?" Huey asked  
wrapping his arms around Ray and  
pulling him close.  
        "I don' know what  
it is.. But.. Your incredible shower  
does it for me *every* time."  
        Huey chuckled and kissed  
him.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Fraser bumped into Welsh.  
        "Sorry."  
        "Looking for  
Ray?"  
        "Yes,  
sir."  
        Welsh  
pointed down the hall.  
        "He's  
in the closet."  
        "Oh,  
really. I thought he came out of that."  
        Welsh  
snickered and walked away. Fraser headed for the  
closet Welsh indicated.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey pulled a silver  
packet from his pocket and slipped  
it into Ray's hand.  
        "Oh.. Who's feeling  
Frisky."  
        "I'd  
rather be feeling you frisk me."  
        Ray  
rubbed noses with Huey just as Fraser opened the  
door. They jumped  
apart and the packet fell from Ray's hands  
as he dropped it in  
surprise. It fell to the floor with a  
little slap and Fraser looked down. Then he looked at the  
two men. Ray turned as Red as Fraser's coat and Huey turned  
a darker  
shade of black. Fraser started to match the colour  
of his coat,  
then he spun. Huey dived for him, grabbing his  
arm, and spun him  
around and pushed him deeper in.  
        "Work it out."  
        Then he stepped  
out of the closet and went in search of  
a cold shower.  
        Fraser backed up as did  
Ray. Ray wrapped his arms  
around himself at the look of pure fury  
on Fraser's face.  
        "I came to give  
you one last chance. You just blew it."  
        Then  
he spun on his heels.  
        "Benni,  
please," it was such a heart wrenching plea  
that Fraser stopped,  
but he didn't turn back to look at him.  
        "You  
*lied* to my *face*. I gave you a chance to tell  
me the truth.  
In relative privacy and you *lied* to me."  
        "Frannie  
was coming up the corridor.. I didn't know  
how you'd react.. I  
just had..to put on the act I've been  
putting on for everyone."  
        Fraser spun his heel  
and faced Ray.  
        "Two  
words, Ray. Frannie's coming. That's all you had  
to say. I would  
have taken the hint and waited."  
        "She woulda hung  
around like a bad smell while you  
were there and you know it."  
        Fraser gave him a shove  
and Ray staggered into the back  
wall and put a dent in the plasterboard.  
        "You call yourself  
my *Friend* Friends trust each  
other! You didn't trust me enough  
to tell me you were Gay.  
You didn't trust me enough to turn to me for help when that  
deviate  
raped you and don't *lie* to me again."  
        Ray's head fell to his  
chest.  
        "I know  
what happened. The neighbours asked me to turn  
my non existent  
TV down, and when I told them I didn't have  
one, they told me they  
heard you screaming and thought it  
was the TV Is this payback for Victoria.. If it is you  
couldn't have chosen a better way to rub my face in it."  
        Ray's  
head shot up.  
        "Oh  
god, no Benni, its not like that."  
        "Then  
what is it? Friends trust each other, Ray and  
you didn't trust  
me. At the time you needed me most, you  
figuratively shoved me away and you've been doing it ever  
since. Why do you push me away when you need a friend  
most?"  
        "Because I love  
you, you moron."  
        Fraser  
backed into the door wide eyed.  
        "What  
you think of me matters. More than what anyone  
else in the world  
thinks. I was ashamed, that I let that  
happen to me in your place after I told you I could handle  
it.. I didn't want you to see me.. I was in pieces.. I was  
falling apart.. I was in shock.. I didn't wanna see you.. I  
couldn't  
handle you seeing me like that.. I couldn't handle  
the idea of  
anyone finding out.. I got blotto.. I just  
wanted to die.. Benni.. I honest to god didn't care if I  
lived or die.. once it really sunk in.. after Huey made me  
face what happened to me.. I had a very quite nervous  
breakdown."  
        Fraser took a half step  
forward.  
        "It  
wasn't just.. Being.. raped.. It was.. being so  
wrong.. Being so  
damned scared.. all I could think was.. I  
took that guy to your place.. He called you my little stud..  
threatened  
to rape you next and make me watch..unless I  
stopped fighting and it kept going round in my head.. and I  
went  
to pieces. But I got help.. Huey took care of me.. You  
did the  
right thing trusting him to take care of me. He took  
me to a good  
counsellor.. who made me look at everything..  
made me face everything.. And what scared me the most was  
Goldie's threat to do it to you.."  
        Fraser took another half  
step forward.  
        "That's  
why I wasn't there when you got back.. I was  
so terrified that  
I wouldn't be able to get him out of there  
before you got back..  
That I didn't think of anything else  
but getting him out of there.. and making sure I sent him so  
far  
away he could never *ever* carry out that threat against  
you..  
I didn't think about anything else till he was on the  
plane and  
outta my life. I didn't care that he'd get away  
with what he did to me.. I just wanted to make damn sure he  
could  
never do it to you."  
        Fraser didn't stop moving  
till Ray was in his arms and  
being hugged. Ray's arms went around  
him, and hugged him  
tightly back.  
        "What did I do right  
to deserve a friend like you?"  
Fraser asked.  
        The door opened and Dewey  
stepped in with his coat, and  
almost dropped it.  
        "Get out of here,"  
Ray growled, not caring if the man  
saw the tears in his eyes. "Can't  
you see I'm in the middle  
of a nervous break down."  
        Dewey decided to hang  
his coat over the back of a chair  
instead and backed out closing  
the door.  
        "Where was I?"  
        "In the middle  
of your nervous breakdown."  
        "Oh  
right.. That whole thing screwed me up.. I'm a  
detective.. I'm  
supposed to be able to judge people's  
character and all that.. I lost my confidence.. I almost  
lost it when a kid pulled a toy gun on me for gods sake."  
        "That's  
why you're stuck behind a desk."  
        "Yeah..  
That's me, glorified paper pusher."  
        "They  
don't know.. do they?"  
        "No..  
Huey made up a good story that covered it all."  
        "Good."  
        "Good?"  
        "I'm glad you  
sent him away.. I might have killed  
him.."  
        Ray gave him another  
hug.  
        "Er..  
Ray.. I hope it was *brotherly* love you were  
talking about when  
you said you love me."  
        -*sigh*-  
        "Because I love  
you like the brother I always wished I  
had.. But.."  
        Ray stopped hugging him  
and Fraser stepped back tugging  
at his coat. Ray tugged his closed  
and buttoned it.  
        "I'm sorry.. I *never*  
thought of you the other way."  
        "S'o.k..  
It's like I told Huey.. I never really  
thought of you that way  
either till the Counsellor made me  
face it."  
        "Oh dear."  
        Ray gave him a tremulous  
smile.  
        "Don't  
worry, Benni.. I got Huey.. I ain't gonna  
pounce on you.. Him and  
me, we're in the same boat."  
        "What boat is that?"  
        "We're both  
desperately in love with straight guys.  
And like the song goes..  
If you can't love the one you want  
love the one you're with.. And  
don't worry.. I don't  
fantasise about you when I'm with him.. When I'm with him,  
I'm with him, all the way."  
        "Does he make you  
happy?"  
        "We're  
still working out the bugs... But yeah.. where  
it counts he makes  
me happy.. I almost blew it with him..  
over reacting.. to something.. but he made me feel so  
special.. and so wanted.. When he said he'd do anything for  
me..  
And he introduced me to his parents.. That means a  
lot.. Oh..and I told ma.. She was a little upset.. but she's  
getting  
over it.. We brought her a Merc.. She told him to  
call her Ma.."  
         "Well I'm happy  
you were able to work things out  
without a family conflict."  
        "She coulda knocked  
me down with a feather when she  
told me she always suspected it..  
cause Pop was Gay."  
        "That's why he became  
an alcoholic."  
        "Yeah.  
It's so strange.."  
        The  
door opened and someone else walked in with a coat.  
        Ray  
threw up his arms.  
        "Can't  
a man have a quiet conversation in a closet  
around here without  
everyone in the station walking in on  
him."  
        Fraser checked his watch.  
        "I will be  
late for work if I don't leave soon, and  
the inspector said she'd  
put me on Sentry Duty for life if I  
was late."  
        "Oh.. Well, then  
you get going and say hello to the  
Dragon Lady for me."  
        Fraser didn't even bother  
to tell him off for it. The  
interloper hung their coat and departed.  
        "If you can bring  
yourself to come near my  
apartment.."  
        "Saaay... Do you  
think you can wait just a few  
minutes.. Go call the Dragon Lady  
and tell her you'll be a  
few minutes late. I wanna talk to Huey about an idea I just  
had  
that will suit all three of us."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
          
        Fraser waited by Ray's  
desk wondering who the tall dark  
handsome man with kid gloves looking  
him up and down was. Ray bounded up  
all smiles and he forget about  
the man.  
        "You never liked  
that apartment anyway, did you  
Fraser?"  
        "You were the one  
who was most enthusiastic about it."  
        "Huey  
doesn't feel right, about leaving his place with  
all that stuff  
in it. But there's no room at my place. If  
you promise to keep the wolf off the furniture, his words,  
you can have it rent free. Then ya can save your money  
towards getting your cabin rebuilt."  
        "Are you sure he's  
fine with the idea?"  
        "Hey,  
the rent free idea was his idea. It's called house sitting, only  
this is an apartment. He owns it outright. Now, here's the keys. Garbage  
night is Wednesday. Have it out by 7."  
        Fraser nodded taking  
the keys and pocketing them. Ray  
told him the address and Fraser  
smiled faintly.  
        "I do know where  
it is, Ray."  
        "Do  
you need help moving in?"  
        "No..  
I don't have that much."  
        "Well  
there's a lock up garage down below where you  
can store anything  
you don't wanna keep in the apartment.  
I'll drop in around eight. To make sure you're all settled  
in. If there's anything you want, just give me a call and  
I'll bring it around.. Oh, almost forget you pay for the  
phone and utilities."  
        "That's fair."  
        "All settled?"  
        Fraser nodded.  
        "Good now, shoo..  
I've got work to do.. Welsh said I  
can go back on active duty he's  
got the perfect assignment  
for me.. Some corporate crime to solve. He told me to go  
distract a few secretaries for a change."  
        Fraser chuckled as he  
walked away.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "You have a *what?!*"  
        "A partner,  
an old friend of Huey's who just made  
Detective and was transferred  
in the other day. Huey raved  
about him, reckons he saved his life once or twice when they  
were  
kids. Hasn't seem him in years. Thought he was dead  
till he turned up at the precinct. The damn man is always  
smiling at me."  
        "Who Huey or your  
new partner?"  
        "His  
name is *Hiram* Westbourne. *Hiram* what a  
name."  
        "He can't help it  
if his parents gave him a name like  
Hiram."  
        "I told Welsh I  
didn't want no partner, but, it's like  
talking to a brick wall.  
Huey told me to give the guy a  
chance, that he'd grow on me. But he would say that, Hiram's  
the  
guy he is sooo in love with."  
        "It is unusual for  
a detective to be without an  
official partner for so long."  
        "I got you I don't  
need an official partner. I clear  
more cases than any other team  
in the precinct. You think  
they'd be happy with that and leave well enough alone, but  
no, some paper pusher up high thinks here's a cop without a  
partner  
let's send the new boy his way to baby sit."  
        "I'm sure you'll  
get used to having an official partner  
again."  
        "He raved about  
my car. Can you believe that.. On and  
on he went. My folks had  
a car like this.. Only Green.. I  
lost my virginity in the back of that car, rave, rave, rave.  
Vecchio..  
Isn't that an Italian name.. I love Italian's.. My  
grandfather  
was Italian.. I make a great tortellini.."  
        Fraser was finding it  
harder to keep a straight face.  
        "And  
he takes stick to your partner's tail a little  
*too* literally  
for my liking."  
        "What do you mean?"  
        "He keeps breathing  
down my neck. Literally."  
        -I'm  
not even going to touch that one.-  
        "And  
I don't even wanna talk about what happened in  
the Elevator."  
        "What happened in  
the Elevator?"  
        "It  
was crowded."  
        "So."  
        "I said.. We'll  
wait for the next one. He walks in  
anyway, so I got to get in.  
And I swear he was deliberately  
rubbing against me."  
        "Well you did say  
it was crowded."  
  
        "He was sniffing  
my neck and hair.. And taking guesses  
at what my cologne and shampoo  
were after we got outta the  
lift. When I said he was wrong, he leaned close and sniffed  
up  
my neck, took another guess and got it right."  
        "I did that to Inspector  
Thatcher once."  
        "That's  
different. She's a woman."  
        "I  
couldn't guess what it was. It turned out she  
wasn't wearing anything."  
        "Fraser.. Please..  
I don't need mental images of the  
Dragon Lady not wearing anything  
running through my head."  
        "Sexual  
frustration."  
        "What?!"  
        "You've got  
sex on the mind, because you couldn't get  
Huey alone in the closet,"  
Fraser said leaning toward him.  
"Or at home either, I'm sure.  
You probably worry too much  
about them hearing you to do anything."  
        Ray blushed. Fraser was  
spot on about that much.  
        "I  
don't suggest there's anything strange when you  
follow me closely,  
or breath on my neck, or bump against me  
in a crowded lift. If  
all those things are *strange* in a  
partner, then you are *strange*."  
        Then Fraser sat back.  
        "But then again,  
you're gay. It's probably just your  
imagination running wild now  
that your eyes have been  
opened to the possible sexual connotations of what were more than likely  
completely innocent things."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray didn't talk to Fraser  
for a week.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray promised to help  
Fraser take Dief to the vet for a  
check up, and a promise is a  
promise, besides he wanted to  
talk to someone about his creepy new partner. So he drove  
Fraser and the Wolf to the Vet, and then to the apartment  
and followed Ray up. Fraser made him coffee while he settled  
down  
on the futon and tried not to think about the things he  
did with  
Huey on that futon.  
        "God, Benni.. He  
did it to me again."  
        "Did  
what?"  
        "The  
lift thing. It wasn't my imagination.. The lift  
got stuck between  
floors and people were moving about and I  
felt him rubbing up against  
me and breathing on my neck  
again."  
        Fraser rolled his eyes.  
        "Don't roll  
your eyes at me.. He keeps doing it to me.  
I'd rather take the  
stairs, even if that mean's climbing 40  
flights, than get caught  
in a crowded lift with him again..  
He was getting off it."  
        "I'm sure it's your  
imagination."  
        "My  
imagination huh.."  
        Ray  
moved into the kitchen area.  
        "Stand  
over there, next to the wall."  
        After  
a moment, Fraser moved to the wall, and Ray  
followed to stand behind  
him then started rubbing his groin  
against Fraser's tush and deliberately  
blew air onto the  
back of Fraser's neck. Fraser's eyes widened, and he stepped  
into  
the wall and Ray followed and began moving his hips  
with rhythmic thrusts against Fraser, Fraser started going  
cross eyed and felt a stirring in his groin that brought a  
flush to his face.  
        He could almost feel  
Ray's lips on his neck, every hair  
there stood on end. He could  
feel Ray's sex through the  
layer's of cloth rubbing against his crotch. Ray's breath  
moved then he started breathing out Italian suggestions. Hot  
and  
naughty suggestions. That made him squirm and bring his  
hands up  
to the wall.  
        Then Ray's body was pressing  
him into that wall and his  
movements became hard and aggressive.          
        "I wanna fuck  
you so hard you see stars, I want to  
fuck you so hard that you  
pass out," came Ray's husky voice, a bare  
whisper, his variation's  
on the theme like his breath on Fraser's throat  
getting hotter by  
the second.  
        Then he licked Fraser's  
ear.  
        "Stop!"  
Fraser croaked.  
        "Now  
tell me it's my imagination. That's exactly what  
he did to me today,"  
Ray said, husky voiced and not moving  
an inch.  
        Fraser could feel him,  
hot and throbbing against him.  
        "What  
else.. Did he do?" Fraser asked after a deep  
shuddering breath.  
        Ray's hand snaked over  
his back, following the waist  
band of his pants, then over his  
crotch and stroked him.  
        "God, you are you  
so hot. You know that, don't you,  
machismo, you got in spades."  
Ray huskily continued, then  
his nose ran up Fraser's neck.  
        "You smell so good,  
I just want to sniff and taste you  
all over. I bet you taste as  
good as you smell."  
        "Rrrray.."  
        "You're turned  
on aren't you."  
        Benni  
nodded.  
        "Whaddya  
know, you're human after all."  
        "Rrrray."  
        "Yes, Benni?"  
        "Iiii h-aaave  
never.. th..thought of myself.. as..  
being.. gay.. before.. but..right  
now.. I could.. be..  
very..easily persuaded.. to.. explore.. the possibility."  
        Ray  
backed up enough for Fraser to turn around and they  
looked down  
at each other. As one they looked up and were in  
each other's arms  
getting down to some serious kissing and  
hip movement within a few seconds.  
        Who unbuttoned and unzipped  
who was a moot point.  
Clothes hit the floor and so did they. Hands  
and mouths  
exploring. Ray's hand flailed around, found his pants and  
while Fraser was exploring his lower region's he found his  
wallet and pulled it out. A foil packet was withdrawn and he  
tossed  
the wallet then let out a delighted moan arching his  
back as Fraser's  
mouth moved over his sex. He tossed the  
packet toward Fraser.  
        A one word inquiry, his  
name, a breathless yes and then  
their exploration's took another  
turn.  
        "Ohhh Miiii."  
        "Oh!"  
        "Did I hurt  
you?"  
        "Now  
he asks."  
        *grunt*  
        "Oh!"  
        "Ray?"  
        "Do you *Have* to."  
        *wiggle, squirm,  
thrust*  
        "OOHH!"  
        "I think I  
must have died."  
        "Wwwwhhhy?"  
        "Because..  
this feels.. like heaven."  
        *giggle*  
        *smooch, moan, nip, thrust*  
        "ohyeah"  
        "Say those  
things again.."  
        "What  
things?"  
        "Those  
things.. In Italian."  
        Ray  
started speaking Italian, interspersed with little  
gasps, cries,  
and curtailed with a long drawn out moan of  
pleasure as Fraser's hand moved over him, while their bodies  
moved  
in that age old Rhythm.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
          
        Lying on the floor, snuggled  
up together, Ray looked  
around when Fraser started breathing on  
his neck and rubbing  
against him.  
        "*Again!*."  
        Fraser stopped.  
        "Oh don't give  
me the big eyed mountie look.."  
        "Obviously  
you don't think we should.. explore  
anymore."  
        Ray wondered if Huey  
had cleared out the supplies, then  
and only then remembered the  
lover he'd virtually promised  
to be faithful for life too. He curled up in a little ball  
of guilt.  
        "Ray??"  
        "Oh god.. What did  
I just do? I can't believe I did  
that with you."  
        Fraser reached out stroking  
him.  
        "I can't  
believe we did that either."  
        Ray  
scrambled up and dashed around gathering his  
scattered clothing  
and dressed hurriedly. Fraser pulled his  
pants back on and watched  
him.  
        "Oh god, that was  
so stupid.. I should never have done  
that."  
        "I don't regret  
it," Fraser said.  
        Ray  
stomped his shoes on.  
        "You're  
just high on hormones right now.. Later you're  
gonna hate me for  
that as much as I hate myself.."  
        "I could never hate  
you."  
        "That's  
the straight man's version of Gay sex.. And I  
know how wonderful  
it feels.. I love it when Huey lets me  
Fuck him, it feels so good.. But the other kind.. God  
Benni.. I could never do that to you.. It's too easy to get  
carried  
away and hurt your partner.. And I got carried away  
with you and  
this is gonna hurt my partner like hell."  
        Fraser blushed when reminded  
of Huey.  
        "It's  
not gonna happen again.."  
        "Are  
you going to tell him?"  
        "Like  
I could get away with not telling him with you  
making like a vampire..  
I'm gonna smell of sex.. He is gonna  
freak. And so much for telling  
Ma I'm monogamous.."  
        "I'm sorry."  
        Ray stopped ranting,  
and moved to take his face in his  
hands and looked him in the eye.  
        "I'm not sorry that  
it happened, Benni, I love you..  
It was wonderful.. But it just  
happened at the wrong time.  
Huey.. He asked me all romantic like to be his life partner  
the  
other day and I said yes.. cause I thought nothing like  
this could  
ever happen.. He hasn't stopped smiling since I  
said it.. His mother is planning a nice gay wedding and  
everything.. and my mother thinks its a wonderful idea.. I  
can't mess things up now.."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray made it home in time  
to shower and change. He was  
in the bedroom, standing at the end  
of the bed, a foot on  
the bed end while he tied his shoes, when Huey crept in. Ray  
almost  
jumped right out of his skin when Huey's arms wrapped  
around him,  
and his dark affianced lover nuzzled his neck.  
        "Did I do that..  
I must have bitten you harder than I  
thought."  
        -Ohmigod, he thinks he  
did it. I could get away with  
it. I gotta talk to Fraser.. -  
        He turned in Huey's arms  
to be kissed passionately and  
pounced on. Guilt washed over him  
as Huey got frisky words  
of love and affection pouring from his lips. His hands flew  
up  
to Huey's face. Huey looked at him with passion fogged  
eyes.  
        "God. I love you,"  
Huey said huskily.  
        Ray  
started crying, and Huey kissed away his tears.  
He'd said I love  
you and Fraser had never said I love you  
back. He hugged Huey tight and whispered the magic words.  
        Huey reared up.  
        "Are you sure?"  
        Ray nodded.  
        Huey kissed him with  
a passion and thing's just got  
more passionate from there. Sliding  
over the bed, bodies  
tangling, Huey's touch then his gentle love making. Ray  
started crying again. He was being so careful. He'd been so  
wrapt  
in the moment with Fraser he hadn't cared that it  
hurt. Huey stilled.  
        "No.." Ray  
said and encouraged him to start again, to  
thrust harder, faster.  
        It hurt, it hurt like  
hell, it made him feel the way he  
felt he deserved to be hurt for  
doing something that would  
break this man's heart if he found out about it.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "Benni."  
        "Ray,"  
        "We gotta talk."  
        "Did you tell  
him?"  
        "No.  
He thought he gave me that bite without realising  
it.. I can't  
tell him. Do you still feel the same way? No  
regrets?"  
        "I regret that it..  
causes you so much pain."  
        "We  
gotta talk."  
        "I  
have masses of paper work today."  
        "S'o.k,  
I've got a stake out with *Hiram* God I hate  
that man.. I am really  
not looking forward to this.. I'll  
probably be fending him off all night."  
        "I'm sure if you  
tell him.. you're with Huey he'll  
stop. You said he was Huey's  
friend. If he's a true friend  
he'll stop."  
        -Is that a hint-  
        "I'll see you tomorrow..  
we really need to talk about  
this.. Uh-Oh, here comes Detective  
gush.. Gotta go."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "Hiram.. You must  
be joking, Ray."  
        "Look  
I know he's your friend, and probably saved your  
life, yadda, yadda,  
yadda, but I'm telling you the man is  
*gay*."  
        "No way, he's a  
straight as they come."  
        "Yeah,  
right, that's why he keeps popping up behind  
me, and breathing  
down my neck."  
        "You used to do  
that to Fraser all the time. It didn't mean you were gay."  
  
        "Well it would if  
I had a raging hard on when I was  
doing it, like your ever so straight  
friend."  
        Huey stared at him.  
        "And I sure as hell  
don't follow him into a crowded  
elevator just to get a chance to  
rub up against him and get  
off on it. Like your ever so straight  
friend."  
        Huey's dark skin turned  
darker as blood rushed to his  
face.  
        "And I don't start  
touching him up in the middle of a  
crowded elevator and make him  
get a hard on very much  
against his will. Where he can't do anything about it unless  
he  
wants to draw everyone's attention to the fact it's  
happening and be totally humiliated. And I'm supposed to  
be joining him on a stake out.. the idea of being all alone  
with  
that man makes me want to hurl."  
        "That is a pretty  
sick way to get rid of a partner you  
don't want, Ray."  
        "Damnit, I am sick  
of everyone rolling their eyes and  
telling me it's my imagination,  
or that it's a pack of lies  
I made up," Ray said. "What  
is it gonna take before  
someone listens to me?" He snapped  
and stormed off.  


  |   |   
---|---|---  
  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
  
  
        Ray was about to walk  
past the closet when the bane of  
his existence, Hiram Westbourne  
bounded up, grabbing his arm.  
        "Ray  
I got.."  
        Ray  
ripped his arm free.  
        "Keep  
your hands off me! & I didn't give you permission  
to call me Ray.  
It's Vecchio to you."  
        "I found an informant  
with information on the Lubbok  
case."  
        "What?! Who?! I  
haven't been able too.."  
        Westbourne  
looked around then indicated the closet as  
someone walked past.  
He threw the door open and walked in  
and in his eagerness to get some break on that until now  
thought dead case, he walked right in. With a soft click of  
the  
door being closed, the trap snapped shut.  
        Westbourne moved to toward  
the back of the closet and  
Ray stepped after him.  
        "I've been trying  
to find someone with dirt on Lubbok  
ever since I took that case.  
I can't believe you.."  
        Westbourne spun grabbed  
him by the coat lapels and  
swung him around to slam him into the  
wall.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Francesca was reaching  
for the closest handle when the  
door opened and Hiram stepped out,  
adjusting his tie. She  
looked at him startled and he kicked the door closed.  
        "Francesca. Did  
you get that file I wanted?"  
        "What  
file?"  
        "From  
Forensics.." He said, quoting a case number.  
        "I  
don't remember picking up a file with your name on  
it when I was  
there."  
        "Go and double check."  
        "I have to  
get something from the clos...."  
        "Double  
check it now, your brother is breathing down  
my neck about it,"  
he cut in, tugging on his black kid  
leather gloves.  
        "Well that must  
be a change for you," she said  
snidely before she turned and  
walked away.  
        He watched her walking  
away, his eye's falling to her  
long legs and oh so short skirt.  
He was going to enjoy the  
next stage of his little plan. Even if he wasn't there to  
see it. He was sure it would put that little slut in her  
place.  
        When she left the corridor,  
it was empty. Out of his  
pocket came Ray's lock pick kit, and he  
went to work fast,  
to pick the lock, not to open, but to lock the door, then  
jam the lock.  
        That task complete he  
tucked the kit into his pocket  
and walked away, whistling cheerfully.  
Out of his inside  
pocket came an envelope and he passed through the bull pen,  
dropping  
it on Huey's desk, before moving onto Ray's.  
        Pulling the draw open  
he pulled out Ray's gun, car  
key's and cel phone. A sly glance  
around revealed the coast  
was clear and he tucked them into his  
pockets, closed the  
drawer and looked through the files on the desk. He smiled  
when he saw the file he was after. He'd forged Ray's  
signature and writing to get the file pulled. He picked up  
the file before walking away, looking through it as he went.  
        Next  
step, the evidence locker.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey sank down into his  
seat, foot sore and very  
grumpy. Tracking down Hiram or Ray seemed  
to be impossible.  
Ray had seemed to just disappear. He'd probably  
gone off  
somewhere to sulk. He'd been able to track Hiram through the  
station,  
doing work on a case, but he hadn't been able to  
catch up with him. The closest he'd gotten was to be told  
someone had seen him heading for the street.  
        He reached the street  
just in time to see Ray's  
distinctive Riv moving off in the distance.  
Giving it up as  
a lost cause for the day he strode back through  
the station.  
He'd catch up with Hiram tomorrow and get him and  
Ray into  
a room together and make them hash out their differences.  
        He noticed an envelope  
marked URGENT in Francesca's  
writing and picked it up, turning  
it over to open it. He saw  
the back of a photograph and reached  
in to extract it and  
realised it was three. Turning them over his eyes widened.  
        The top photograph was  
a through the window shot of  
Fraser and Ray. Fraser was half naked,  
and pushing Ray's  
shirt off while they were in what looked like a rather  
passionate lip lock.  
        -What the hell?!!!- was  
his first thought.  
        He  
dropped the photo to the desk and looked at the next  
photo and  
reared up. It was of a completely naked Fraser and  
Ray on the floor  
together, their clothes scattered all  
around them, another through the window shot. They were  
lying in each other's arms looking quite content, Fraser  
cuddling up to Ray, spoon fashion. In *his* apartment.  
        -Ohmigod!-  
        Morbid curiosity made  
him flip to the next photo and  
his eyes almost bugged out and the  
next through the window  
shot, this one filling most of the photo, of Ray lying on  
the floor his back arched, his legs wrapped around Fraser's  
back  
as the Mountie was kneeling at his butt arms spread  
either side of Ray, Back arched, neck arched, a look of  
ecstasy on his face, and it was extremely clear he was in  
the act of fucking Ray. The photo was absolutely perfectly  
focused.  
        Huey dropped it jumping  
up with an involuntary cry of  
pain. That's why Ray was so strangely  
passive and broke into  
tears at the drop of a hat. He'd finally  
gotten the man he  
wanted, but at what price.  
        Huey didn't know if he  
wanted to strangle Ray for  
cheating on him, or kiss him to death  
for turning his back on  
his hearts desire to chose to honour his  
promise to be his  
life partner.  
        People looked around.  
He looked around then scooped up  
the photo's and shoved them into  
his pocket and looked at  
that envelope again. It was definitely Francesca's writing.  
        Huey  
started moving around the pen showing it to his  
fellow officers  
seeing if anyone else had received one. The  
sure's he got resulted  
in being shown the usual assortment of  
urgent messages Frannie  
left in those envelopes.  
        He went in search of  
Frannie. And wondered if Welsh had  
gotten any. He glanced around,  
there was someone with Welsh  
in the office, he'd check later.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        It was a grumpy Francesca  
who returned to her desk. Ray  
and Westbourne had both vanished.  
The folder joined the  
others on the desk and she sat down to get to work.  
        She saw Huey approach  
and looked over the desk. There  
was one there with Huey on it and  
she picked it up and held  
it out as he arrived. He snatched it  
and tucked it under his  
arm and pulled out the photo's from his  
pocket.  
        "What's the meaning  
of leaving these on my desk?" He  
demanded tossing them down.  
        Frannie looked down,  
here pupils dilated, her eyes  
bugged out and she jumped up with  
a shriek that could be  
heard through the half the station. Her hands flew to her  
mouth and she backed up. People came running at that scream  
and  
Huey quickly scooped the photos up and realised he'd  
just been a pawn in someone's extremely sick piece of  
revenge against Ray.  
        There were questions  
being fired at him and Frannie  
from all sides. She just looked  
at him wide eyed, then a  
hand fell to her stomach.  
        "Gangway, Sick Vecchio  
coming through!" He called  
out.  
        They parted like the  
red sea and Frannie raced from the  
room.  
        Dewey grabbed Huey's  
arm and he looked around.  
        "Welsh  
want's you, in the office, now."  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Frank Zuko walked through  
the alley behind the  
restaurant he'd just eaten in and reached  
his car. He was  
pulling his key's from his pocket when he heard a click and  
Ray's  
voice.  
        "I knew I'd get  
you alone one day."  
        Zuko  
started to spin and a bullet struck him. He fell  
against the car,  
and another bullet struck him. Then he  
heard running footsteps as he slid down the car. He heard  
something clatter to the alley way and bounce, then he heard  
a  
car door open and close. With an effort he raised his  
head, in time to see Ray's Riv, tire's spinning and swinging  
around,  
to speed away. Then he passed out.  
        When the first police  
unit on the scene arrived and the cops scoured the  
area, they found  
a cel phone, which was marked out and later photographed  
before being  
bagged.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
          
        "What was that about?"  
Welsh demanded.  
        "Sir?"  
Huey inquired.  
        "I  
saw you throw something on Francesca's desk that  
made her scream  
blue murder."          
        "S'cuse me, sir."  
Dewey cut in.  
        Welsh  
looked at him, but Dewey was looking at the file  
tucked under Huey's  
arm.  
        "Is that the Forensics  
report?"  
        Huey  
had forgotten about it and pulled it out handing  
it to Dewey as  
he looked at Welsh.  
        "I didn't mean to  
do that to her. I thought.. Someone  
dropped an envelope on my desk.  
One of hers, it was marked  
urgent, in her writing.. I opened it and got as much as a  
shock as she did.. Only I wasn't as loud about it. I want  
to know what was going on.. I had no idea she'd react that  
way."  
        While they talked Dewey  
perused the contents of the  
file, a report on the last of unidentified  
skeletal remains  
found in the Rooks Diabolo Street graveyard.  
        "What did you..?"  
        "Photographs,  
don't ask me for them. I'm going to burn  
them."  
        "May I asked what  
the photo's were of?"  
        Huey  
reached into his pocket then stepped back and  
turned away. He found  
the least offensive photo and  
separated it. The other two went into his inside coat  
pocket. He turned and held the photo out to Welsh. Welsh let  
out  
an oath and looked at Huey wide eyed.  
        "Now you know why  
she screeched."  
        "I'm  
surprised you didn't."  
        "Someone  
else is going to be screeching when I get my  
hands on him."  
        Welsh opened his mouth.  
        "Fraser."  
        Welsh relaxed a  
tad, Fraser could definitely hold his  
own in a fight with Huey.  
        "Taking advantage  
of my Ray."  
        "What  
was that," Dewey said looking up.  
        -uh-oh-  
        "Surprise. I really  
am Gay and we really are an  
item."  
        -Were- thought Welsh,  
-After those photo's I doubt you  
will be much longer-  
        "I proposed and  
he said yes."  
        Welsh's  
jaw almost hit the floor.  
        -Proposed  
as in Marry me!-  
        "*I  
knew it!* He only denied it because of those KKK  
pictures."  
        A horrible thought occurred  
to Huey at that moment and  
he looked at Welsh.  
        "That's who's behind  
it.. I have a feeling.. They're  
may be more of them floating around.  
I asked around, no one  
else received an envelope from her full  
of pictures."  
        "Let me guess they  
just get more graphic after that."  
        Huey  
nodded.  
        "Get  
out there and start searching desks, they could  
be hidden among  
paper work in files, places they'll drop out  
of or be noticed.  
It ends right here."  
        Huey nodded spinning  
on his heels and took a step  
toward the door. Dewey looked back  
at his file, before  
preparing to join him, and then forget everything as the  
name of the recently identified skeleton leapt out at him.  
        "OHMIGOD!"  
Dewey cried.  
        Welsh  
and Huey spun and looked at him. He looked up  
wide eyed.  
        "That skeleton we  
found.. It's been identified by the  
dental records.. DNA samples  
from the parents of the young  
man he was initially identified as confirmed it.."  
        "Who was it?"  
        "Hiram Westbourne!"  
        "WHAT?!"  
        "What's more  
they dated it..It's been there for *at  
least* 20 years."  
        "Show me that!"  
        Huey snatched the  
file. He blanched, the parents names  
were his friends parent's  
name, the birth date, the picture  
attached.  
        "It's him, Huey."  
        "Then who the  
hell is Ray's partner?"  
        "The  
same person who left those picture's on my desk  
no doubt.."  
        Then his head reared  
up.  
        "Oh no."  
        "What?"  
        "The evidence  
locker.. He was in the evidence locker.  
Alone. Just before I found  
those pictures.. Whatever he  
pulled this off for, he's already gotten what he wants that's  
his  
last laugh."  
        "Find Vecchio,"  
Welsh ordered Huey. "Find out what  
cases he was working on,  
what files Ray or Westbourne have  
requested, anything he's been into, I want to know about  
it," He ordered Dewey.  
        They nodded, spun and  
headed for the door. The door  
burst open.  
        "Someone just shot  
Frank Zuko! And half a dozen  
witnesses say they saw Vecchio's car  
speeding from the  
scene. At least one claims they saw Ray on the scene and  
described what he was wearing today perfectly."  
        Huey and Dewey looked  
at Welsh.  
        "He  
wouldn't be that stupid. It's got to be our  
chameleon cop. You've  
got your assignments, carry them out.  
I'll handle this *personally*.  
Call me the moment you find  
Vecchio."  
        Huey nodded, he and Dewey  
rushed out going separate  
ways. Dewey to find records, Huey to  
start pouncing on  
people to find out when and were people saw Ray last. He  
took names, times and places down on his note pad as he  
moved through the precinct. He also looked for photograph's  
while  
he was at it. Asking each person to do a quick check  
of their desk. Six more photographs came to light and he  
managed to snatch them up before the recipients saw them.  
        He personally searched  
Frannie's work area and found  
more than a dozen hidden around in  
places where she was sure  
to find them sooner or later. Each photo  
he found was more  
graphic than the rest.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        His plans for the evening  
cancelled, and completely  
oblivious to what was happening at the  
precinct, Fraser had  
decided to work back late to get some paper  
work cleared  
away and get his mind off Ray. He moved through the  
consulate's corridor's the last of the paper work in his  
hands. It was destined for Inspector Thatchers desk. It  
didn't get that far.  
        No sooner had he passed  
into her darkened office and  
reached for the light switch than  
a gloved hand fell on his  
wrist. He had just enough time to register  
it when another  
came down and he was being spun around, and slammed into the  
wall.  
The files went flying paper scattering everywhere.  
        He was stunned, and unable  
to fight as his arm, then  
both were shoved up his back and then  
pinned there by one  
hand. He heard a click and Ray's voice. His dazed mind  
couldn't make sense of what he was saying. But he soon  
discovered there was another kind of language as his arms  
were cuffed his wrists, to the point just above his elbow  
with two sets of cuffs.  
        "You had your fun..  
Now it's my turn," he heard Ray's  
voice say.  
        Then he was being pushed  
and shoved to Thatchers desk  
and forced over it. Hands encased  
in soft black kid leather  
moved over his clothes and his pants  
were tugged down.  
        "Why are you doing  
this?!"  
        He  
kneed right into the nuts and cried out in pain.  
Then his shorts  
were being tugged down and those gloved  
hands travelled over his bare behind, then he heard a zip  
being lowered, the rustle of cloth among other things.  
        *click*  
        Ray's voice talking dirty,  
making naughty suggestions,  
reached his ears. Then he felt those  
hands on him again and  
the analytical part of his mind told him  
to relax or it  
would be worse for him. He felt it against his skin first  
and his pain narrowed eyes widened.  
        Then there were police  
lights flashing through the  
window and a loud slamming of doors.  
He heard a muttered  
curse, and running feet and he was alone. He slid off the  
desk, pain or no pain he wasn't going to be caught in that  
position.  
        He heard hard fists pounding  
on the door of the  
consulate. Squirming and wiggling, sliding his  
body across  
the carpeted floor he managed to get his pants at least back  
up.  
Not in a particularly comfortable fashion.  
        He heard a voice calling  
out his name. He knew wether  
or not he yelled to let them know  
where he was, the door  
would be kicked in. So he saved his breath.  
        As predicted, he heard  
the front door being kicked  
open. Then movement through the halls.  
        "Violent Intruder  
in the consulate! Possibly armed!"  
        "It's  
me, Lieutenant Welsh."  
        "It's  
not you I'm talking about," Fraser called out.  
"It's  
the one who just attacked me."  
        "Where are you?"  
        "The Inspector's  
office. He fled when he saw the  
lights. You came not a second too  
late."  
        Welsh was soon turning  
the lights on and cursing. Then  
he was being rolled over and raised  
to a sitting position.  
Welsh gave another curse when he saw the state of his pants.  
        "Did  
you see him?" Welsh asked as he adjusted  
Fraser's pants for  
him, while the Mountie blushed.  
        "No.. I kept hearing  
Ray's voice... But it wasn't  
Ray."  
        "You're absolutely  
sure of that."  
        "To  
put it crudely.. Ray's not hung like a horse. And  
whoever it was  
who was about to rape me *was*."  
        "He didn't.."  
        "As I said..  
You couldn't have arrived at a more  
perfect time."  
        A handkerchief was applied  
to his bleeding nose and  
Welsh was looking around, yelling orders.  
Then he was  
helping Fraser up to his feet. Fraser winced and hissed.  
        "Fraser.."  
        "I was.. dazed..  
I kept hearing Ray's voice.. I could  
smell his cologne.. When I  
asked why he was doing that to  
me, he gave me a knee to the nuts."  
        "Ouch."  
        "That's an understatement..  
From that angle..it was  
far more agonising.."  
        "We'll take it nice  
and slow."  
        And  
they did, Welsh supporting Fraser across the room.  
        "What  
made you come?"  
        "Ray's  
Partner is impersonating a dead man.. Photos  
of you with Ray in..  
very compromising circumstances were  
distributed through the precinct."  


  | "How compromising?" |   
---|---|---  
  
        "If you're lucky,  
Huey won't kill you."  
        "Oh  
dear."  
        "You're  
lucky he's the only person who's seen them and  
intends hurling  
the lot in the incinerator. Well.. Actually  
it was two people..  
Apparently Francesca saw some and let  
out a shriek fit to wake the dead."  
        "Ohno.."  
        "What's more.. Someone  
shot Frank Zuko, twice in the  
back.. Witness claim they say Ray's  
car, one claim's to have  
seen a man dressed like him.. Dressed  
*exactly* the way he  
was dressed at the station earlier. The slugs they pulled  
from Zuko are a match for the type Ray uses. And they found  
his  
cel phone at the scene."  
        "And Ray?"  
        "Is missing..  
His car has been seen, someone dressed  
like him has been seen..  
But strangely enough.. No one saw  
Ray leave the Precinct today. Though they did see that  
Chameleon Partner of his leaving. The last time anyone at the  
station  
saw Ray was four hours ago. And that person saw him  
in the corridor  
with Westbourne.. And says Ray body  
language was hostile. That was the *last* verifiable  
sighting."  
        "He must be somewhere  
inside the precinct."  
        "We  
can use bolt cutters on those cuffs there."  
        "Sir..  
Ray complained of being sexually harassed by  
his partner."  
        Welsh felt sick.  
        "And it was more  
than a few touches and sexual  
advances.. It started out that way,  
but he told me he was..  
virtually molested in a crowded lift. His  
partner chose a  
place where Ray couldn't react to it out of risk of being  
humiliated in front of other people."  
        "How was he molested?"  
        "Those photo's  
you mentioned.. Could only have been  
taken last night.. I was passing  
it off as his imagination  
again, and he .. demonstrated what his partner did to him in  
the  
lift.. Which is what lead to the.. compromising situation  
we were  
no doubt photographed in. It was not light  
harassment.. It was molestation. I am amazed Ray didn't do  
something violent to him."  
        "He probably wanted  
to get it handled *quietly*  
Fraser."  


  | Fraser looked at the door hanging on it's hinges. |   
---|---|---  
  
        "Oh dear."  
        "Don't worry..  
I've arranged for someone to stand  
guard here till the door can  
be repaired. They're searching  
the consulate for that intruder  
now."  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        The only way Fraser could  
travel comfortably on the way  
to the station was to curl up on  
the back seat of the Patrol  
car Welsh had commandeered. He was  
helped out, and up the  
stairs. Welsh was met on the stairs, Fraser was picked up in  
a  
fireman's lift and carried through to the bull pen. He was  
set  
down to straddle a chair and saw Huey headed for him.  
        -Oh no-  
        Huey struck him, once,  
setting his nose bleeding again,  
before Welsh had him pulled away.  
        "It will never happen  
again. He made that decision,"  
Fraser yelled.  
        "He will honour  
his promise to you."  
        Huey  
tugged free of his handlers and tugged his coat  
down. Everyone  
watched, as he moved closer, ready to pounce  
if he raised a hand.  
Instead he leaned toward Fraser.  
        "You had your chance.  
And you blew it."  
        "I  
assure you it was not my intention for that to  
happen I never *ever*  
thought of him that way. But he was  
demonstrating what his par.. Hiram Westbourne did to him in  
  
a lift.."  
        Huey turned his head  
and pointed to his ear. Fraser  
whispered everything into his ear.  
While he did so, bolt  
cutters were brought into play and the cuff were cut away.  
Fraser's arms fell limply to his side and he hissed and  
grimaced in pain as circulation cut off by the cuffs  
returned and the pins and needles hit.  
        "And that's what  
happened," he finished when he could  
find his voice again.  
        "I'll kill him."  
        "If you want  
to rearrange my face, I understand, but  
could you wait till I get  
some feeling back in my arms."  
        Huey  
leaned down to whisper something in Fraser's ear  
that made his  
eyes widen slight, then he nodded.  
        "Yes.. I can do  
that."  
        "Fine,  
so I won't rearrange your face."  
        His  
arms were massaged and he listened to Welsh talking  
with his officer's.  
Dewey had three lists for him to look  
at, then was sent to find 4 files. Huey reported that he had  
hopefully  
found all the photographs and destroyed them, and  
that he'd double  
checked. Ray had not been seen leaving the  
station. If he was anywhere,  
it was somewhere inside the  
station.  
        Fraser kindly thanked  
his arm massagers and looked  
around.  
        "Would somebody  
please fetch Diefenbaker he's at my  
apartment."  
        "No.. He's not."  
        Fraser looked at  
Welsh.  
        "He's  
already here."  
        "He's  
being lead around the precinct, we got one of  
Ray's shoes out of  
his locker and told him to track Ray."  
        "An  
excellent idea."  
        "Go  
and find him."  
        Huey  
and Fraser moved off and Welsh went after Dewey.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        They found Dief with  
Francesca who blushed when she saw  
Fraser. He remembered what Welsh  
had said about the  
photographs and blushed too. Huey ignored them. Dief was  
scratching at the door of a closet. Whipping out his note  
book Huey checked it.  
        "This is the very  
last place Ray was seen. Right here,  
in front of this closet."  
        "I saw him here."  
        "Ray?"  
        "No, Weatherbourne.  
He told me to get a file that Ray  
was breathing down his neck about..  
A Forensics file."  
        "What?! Ray was  
only handling corporate crime. There  
was no reason for him to ask  
for a Forensics file. What  
file did he ask for?"  
        She thought about it  
and quoted the number.  
        "Did  
you get it for him?"  
        "Yes,  
but I couldn't find him to give it to him.. And  
I looked everywhere  
for Ray but I couldn't find him  
either.."  
        Then she frowned.  
        "Wait a minute..  
That file had your name on it."  
        "He  
didn't see it.. He doesn't know."  
        "Know  
what?"  
        "Or  
perhaps he does.. Maybe that's why he wanted the  
file.. To stop  
us finding out who the skeleton under the  
floor boards belonged too."  
        "Skeleton?"  
        Fraser tried the  
door. It was locked.  
        "Can  
someone get a key for this door?"  
        Frannie  
held up a key ring.  
        Fraser  
took it and tried every key but none would slip  
into the lock.  
He looked at Frannie, opening his mouth.  
        "It should be on  
that key ring," she said not needing to be a mind reader  
to  
know what he was going to say.  
        Fraser closed his mouth  
and leaned toward the lock to peer at it.  
        Then  
he made them step aside and stepped back to the  
other side of the  
hall and ran at the door and slammed into  
it with his shoulder.  
It sent agonising pins and needles  
through his arm. The lock broke and he leaned on the door  
clutching his arm.  
        "Francesca.. Leave,  
please."  
        "He's  
in there."  
        "And  
I don't think you want to see the condition he  
may have been left  
in. He is more than likely naked, since  
someone has been seen wearing his clothes since he was  
locked in here."  
        She scuttled off but  
not far. Fraser moved away from  
the door and Huey opened it. Fraser  
poked his head in, then  
stepped into the closet. Huey stepped in.  
There was blood on  
the floor but no Ray. Fraser slapped his leg  
and Dief came  
to his side. Fraser squatted down taking hold of Dief's snout and made  
the  
wolf look at him.  
        "Find Ray. Ray has  
a Jelly Doughnut in a plastic bag  
for you in his pocket."  
        Dief started sniffing  
the air, then the floor and moved  
to the wall and started scratching  
it. Huey and Fraser  
watched him. Then Fraser frowned and stared at the wall.  
        "When was this wall  
repaired?"  
        "Repaired."  
        "I was angry  
with Ray.. I shoved him into the wall..  
It broke. This wall isn't  
broken and there's no blood or scuffs on this  
wall.. And this stain  
here is cut in half."  
        Huey's elbow slammed  
into the wall and punched a hole  
through it. Then he started ripping  
the wall apart. Fraser  
wasted no time copying his example and between them they  
started ripping out the false back wall. Fraser's hand  
slipped behind an unbroken section and he heard plastic  
rattle and Fraser. So did Huey.  
        "Frannie!"  
They both cried out.  
        She  
appeared in the door way.  
        "Get  
an ambulance," Huey said.  
        "Oxygen!"  
Fraser said. "Remember (shellac man)."  
        He  
punched a hole in the wall above head height and  
Francesca ran.  
        Huey punched another  
hole in the wall and they heard  
more plastic rattling. Together  
they reached up and then put  
everything into Ripping out the center  
of the wall in one  
piece. It crumbled and broke away to waist height. Ray was  
revealed in the cavity left behind. Arm's spread eagled,  
hands out of sight. Contrary to Fraser's suspicion, Ray  
wasn't naked. He was dressed, in a clowns suit, his face  
made up like a clowns a dunce cap on his head. A Plastic  
sheet was stretched taunt from one end of the cavity to the  
other.  
          
        Out came Fraser's knife  
and he ripped it away. The  
dunce cap tumbled away. Ray reached  
in to touch Ray's neck.  
Huey watched him, waiting to see Ray's  
chest rise and fall.  
        "He has a pulse,  
but it is extremely weak."  
        "If  
he's breathing, I can't tell."  
        They  
worked fast to break away all the remaining  
sheeting.  
        "Huey!" Welsh  
called out.  
        "In  
here, Sir. We found Ray!"  
        Welsh  
was in the door way a few seconds later.  
        "Ohmigod!  
Not Again!"  
        Huey  
and Fraser looked at him.  
        "Again?"  
        "Don't touch  
anything else. Not even him," Welsh  
ordered, then spun.  
        "Get a photographer  
in here *now*!! Double time!! And  
someone find those Bolt cutters  
at get them in here," Welsh bellowed.  
        They  
heard people scattering. Fraser picked up the Dunce cap and though he  
didn't like it, put it back on Ray's head, then he stood to the side.  
        "You've seen  
something like this before?"  
        "It  
happened to a cop at a Precinct I was at.. 10  
years ago.. He was  
long dead when we found him."  
        "How?"  
        "I was nailing something  
to the wall.. And missed the  
nail.. The hammer went right through  
the plaster board and  
got stuck, when I ripped it out, a huge chunk of plaster  
came with it, and a I saw a withered hand...I ripped the  
rest of the wall down.. And there he was.. Just like  
Vecchio... Dunce hat and all."  
        "His name wasn't  
Fordam was it?"  
        "No.  
It was Samuel Cetera. He was a detective there,  
but he'd vanished  
during a murder investigation. He found  
some kid who was involved.. The kid vanished along with all  
his  
records on the case too."  
        Huey and Welsh moved  
as the Photographer arrived, let  
out a startled exclamation and  
was told to gawk later, and  
take the damned pictures already.  
        As soon as the photo's  
were taken the Photographer was  
sent on his way. The bolt cutters  
arrived as he left and were passed in and  
Huey and Fraser used them  
to cut the cuff's that had been used to stretch  
Ray's arms out and  
attach them to hooks in the wall, the real wall. Then  
the cuffs around  
his ankle were being cut away and he was being gently  
lifted down.  
        Huey pulled his coat  
off and wadded it up behind Ray's  
head and Welsh reached out and  
scrapped his nails over Ray's  
jaw, the edge of a piece of tape  
came up and he ripped it  
away. Ray's head moved. Huey and Fraser watched Welsh repeat  
the  
performance on Ray's brow and rip hidden strips of tape  
away from  
brow to cheek. They winced in sympathy when it  
ripped away his eyebrows.  
        "Sorry, Ray."  
        The naked skin revealed  
was bruised and moulted. Fraser  
tipped his head back, and Huey  
started heart massage while  
Fraser breathed for him. He reared back after the first one,  
wide  
eyed then took a deep breath.  
        "His stomach should  
be pumped."  
        Welsh  
nodded and Fraser resumed Mouth to Mouth till the  
paramedic's arrived  
and took over. Welsh and Fraser followed  
them out and Huey began  
searching the closet and wall  
cavity. He felt his blood run cold when found a black chess  
piece  
hidden behind a fragment of the panel.  
        He looked at the Rook  
in his hand then turned it over  
to look at the base. His name was  
on it. He searched the  
rest of the cavity and found a red checker piece. Flipping  
it over he saw Ray's name on it."  
        "What did you find?"  
Dewey asked and Huey jumped, his  
hand folding into a fist.  
        "A message,"  
he said rising to his feet again.  
        "What  
was it?"  
        Huey  
flipped the checker at him. Dewey snatched it out  
of the air and  
looked at it. Huey stuffed the rook into his  
pocket while Dewey's  
attention was off him.  
        "What does this  
mean?" Dewey asked.  
        "He  
took out the leader of the rooks. They have the crown checkers. A Red  
one means the King Pin's have sentenced someone to death."  
        "What?!"  
        "The Rooks were  
behind this," Huey clarified. "Either that, or someone  
wants us to believe that."  
        "Hiram Westbourne  
was a member of the Rooks..."  
        "How  
did you.. I only just got that information  
myself."  
        "You have to ask?  
"  
        "Why  
didn't you say something earlier?"  
        "I  
thought he got out.. That he was one of the lucky  
ones. I was sooo  
wrong."  
        -They found him and killed  
him to pay me back.-  
        His  
hand closed over the piece in his pocket.  
        -Once  
a rook.. Always a rook.-  
        "There's  
only one Rook who could have pulled off that  
impersonation so well..  
Giordi Franetello."  
        "Franetello.. Black  
guy with an Italian Grandfather.  
Went down for killing some Chef."  
        "Apprentice Chef..  
An Italian," Huey said with a nod.  
        "That's  
the guy. He was a Rook?"  
        "This  
whole thing scream's Giordi to me.. He knew Hiram  
was dead and  
no one had ever been able to prove or deny it..  
He put fake records  
into place to get in here.. He made sure  
he was assigned to Ray..  
By forging order's to leave Welsh  
with no choice. He's as Gay as the Day is long.. He's got a  
thing  
for Italian Men and Buick Riv's.. Particularly  
the 1971 model. All though I never knew why. Ray said, he  
said, He lost his virginity in the back of one. And he knew  
Hiram  
was my friend. That he used to look out for me and he  
knew about  
something only two people knew.. Giordi and  
Hiram."  
        "I hate to tell  
you this, but... Someone else knows  
that deep dark secret of yours."  
        Huey looked at him.  
        "Because it wasn't  
Giordi.. He's dead."  
        "What?!"  
        "He was up  
for the death sentence."  
        "It  
couldn't happen to a more deserving bastard."  
        "He  
busted out of prison, back in..95' He was caught  
on a boat, on  
Michigan.. There was a fire fight.. A stray  
shot ignited a fire.. The boat he was on blew up. It didn't  
burn..  
It exploded.. He's dead. A TV crew shooting on the  
lake saw the water police moving in, and captured all the  
action.. it was all over the news at the time."  
        Huey's mind supplied  
him with a vision of Giordi  
impersonating Hiram. Tugging on the  
black kid gloves he  
never removed.  
        "I've got news for  
you, Dewey. He survived it."  
        Dewey  
backed up as the Huey's face became murderous.  
        "And  
he's not going to live to regret the day he  
decided to take me  
on."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Huey found Fraser at  
the hospital, his wolf at his  
heels. Fraser rose from his chair.  
        "How is he?"  
        "They pumped  
his stomach, and revived him. He opened  
his eyes for a few seconds.  
They said, that until he regains  
total consciousness they can't  
tell us wether or not.. he  
suffered any brain damage."  
        Huey's eyes closed. He  
didn't want to think of his  
lovely vibrant and passionate Ray as  
a brain damaged moron.  
        "Doctor Morton was  
handling him, he knows me.. He  
told me.. What they found when they  
examined him after  
resuscitation."  
        "And.."  
        "He wasn't Raped."  
        Huey sagged into  
a chair in pure relief.  
        "But  
he was sexually molested.. there are bruises and  
bites everywhere.  
And..they found evidence he was forced to  
preform oral sex when  
they pumped his stomach."  
        Huey felt his guts twist.  
        "I knew that  
they would.. That's why I told them to do  
it. We now have the means  
to identify his attacker."  
        "Giordi Franetello."  
        Fraser was surprised.  
        "It's his MO  
all over. And I need your help to find  
him.. I know where he'll  
go .. but finding him  
*specifically* in that rats warren is something I need Diefenbaker to  
do."  


  |   |   
---|---|---  
  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
  
  
        Two black clad figure's  
slipped through the maze of  
streets that was the Devil's triangle,  
following a wolf  
who's normally snowy coat was dyed black. One of those  
people carried a sub machine gun, several belts of ammo and  
a sting  
ray on his back, that and a large bulging bag at  
his hip. The other carried a belt slung around his body with  
the  
mini rockets that would if necessary be fired from that  
Sting Ray.  
He also carried a knife, a bolo, a blow pipe with  
special darts,  
and an interesting variety of nasty surprises  
that they left in  
their wake.  
        Huey told Fraser to duck,  
and he did, so did Huey. Dief  
growled. Fraser's bolo was detached  
from his belt. He  
peeked over his shelter and his special services black matt  
face  
paint kept his face from being seen, the infra red  
goggles he wore helped him to see the man patrolling a roof  
top  
with a sub machine gun of his own.  
        When the man turned his  
back Fraser's bolo came into  
its own. Huey watched the man drop  
off the roof to land in  
rubbish.  
        "Good throw."  
        "Can we retrieve  
it?"  
        "We'd  
make too much noise going over that rubbish."  
        He  
headed off again with Fraser on his heels. Dief lead  
them to a  
sewer pipe and they entered it and Fraser was glad  
Huey had told  
him to wear a mask over his mouth and nose.  
The things floating in the six inch deep sludge made him  
feel sorry for Dief.  
        Every time the pipe met  
an interconnecting tunnel Dief  
sniffed around, then moved on. Fraser  
left nasty little  
surprises behind. Then Huey pulled something out of his bag  
and  
tossed it to Fraser. Fraser looked at it, then gave a  
nod and at the next tunnel Fraser began leaving the extra  
nasty little surprises Huey handed him behind in every  
connecting tunnel.  
        Then Dief found the scent  
again, and they followed him  
into the connecting tunnel.  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "Raimondo, Tesoro..  
Cara Mia, open your eyes."  
        Ray  
opened eyes that felt like they had lead weights  
attached. He saw  
Huey leaning over him, then felt his lips  
touch his brow.  
        "The rooks gave  
everyone pieces like these," Huey  
told Ray holding up a piece.  
        "With numbers on  
the bottom. I was 132, Hiram was 131,  
Giordi Franettelli was 130.  
Hiram was killed 20 years ago..  
Giordi impersonated him.. It was  
never Hiram it was  
Giordi."  
        He turned the rook over,  
holding it up so Ray could see the number on the  
bottom.  
        "Can you read that?"  
        "130."  
        "Giordi's Rook."  
        "Dead?"  
        "Yes."  
        "Kill him?"  
        "Yes."  
        "Slow?"  
        "Very."  
        "Talk?"  
        "Sang like  
a bird.. I got the names of the *four*  
kings, and all the knights..  
The *leaders*. I know who each  
and every one of them is now. Now  
you concentrate on getting  
better, Caro.. Hmm.. I'm going to sit  
on that information  
till you're back on feet, then we're going to start kicking  
in  
doors and hauling in Rooks left right and center."  
        "Zat's nice."  
        "And we stirred  
them up a little."  
        "We?"  
        "Fraser and  
I.. We went in after Giordi.. and left  
some little surprises behind  
in our wake. They tripped all  
of Fraser's and we hauled in around 50 rooks this  
morning. As they started showing up at doctor's and here at  
the  
hospital. Nothing lethal of course, just *very* nasty  
surprises. Fraser can be quite vicious when he wants to be.  
Whatever  
he had in his little surprise packages made them  
break out in the nastiest rash you ever saw once they  
tripped the wires.. Made me glad I took him along.. Half of  
them  
were just kids.."  
        "Hiram..Giordi...whatever.."  
        "You want details?"  
        "Yes."  
        "It was Dief."  
        "Wha.."  
        "He got ahead  
of us.. Then we heard screaming.. By the  
time we got there he'd  
well and truly savaged Giordi. Fraser  
held him back while I told  
him if he wanted me to arrest him  
and carry him off to the hospital,  
so you could have the  
pleasure of being the one who carries out the death sentence  
he  
earned, then he better start talking. He sang like a  
bird. Whenever he clammed up, Fraser let Dief go again. We  
did bring him out and bring him here.. and oh dear.. if  
you'd just arrived a little sooner they might have saved  
him."  
        Ray snickered.  
        "The  
sweetest touch was Fraser's.. He told me to hold  
Dief and then  
reached down, just before Giordi passed out,  
and said, Remember me, I'm the Mountie, So called because  
I'm a mounted police officer.. Then he pulled a hypo out of  
his  
pants and held it up and said it was loaded with Equine  
Oestrogen,  
Horse sex hormones and that he was going to shoot  
Giordi up with  
it and introduce him to his stallion and see  
how he liked being  
raped by something hung like a horse  
because it was one."  
        Ray stared at him.  
        "Honest to god.  
Giordi let out a little whimper and  
passed out. He died thinking  
Fraser was going to carry out  
that threat."  
        "Kiss for me."  
        "Oh no.. You  
can kiss him for yourself."  
        "Kiss  
you."  
        Huey  
leaned close enough for Ray to raise his head  
slightly and kiss  
him. Then he patted Ray's arm.  
        "That's enough of  
that, the Doctor will toss me out if  
we start setting off your  
monitor alarms."  
        Ray's hand rose shaking  
like nothing Huey had ever seen  
before. Huey took it and kissed  
it.  
        "Didn' get.. a piece  
of me."  


  | "So the doctor said.. I'm amazed. I thought he had." |   
---|---|---  
  
        "Zed.. too late..  
bastard.. got beat.. by.. some  
other.. rapist.. with aids.. but..  
go right.. ahead.. I'll  
get the last laugh when it kills you."  
        Huey laughed.  
        "He  
decided.. oral sex was the way to go after that..  
Damn near chocked  
me.. Never ask you to do that for me  
again."  
        Huey stroked his face.  
        "He shot Frank  
Zuko tried to frame you for it."  
        "What?!"  
        "Witness placed  
you there.. We can prove it wasn't  
you.. But we don't need to.  
Zuko's such a slippery son of a  
bitch, that he even beat Death.  
Once he was up to questions,  
Welsh questioned him.. He said he  
heard your voice.. And a  
click first.. Fraser heard the same thing when Giordi came  
after him."  
        "Hurt Fraser."  
        "No Welsh arrived  
just in the nick of time to save him  
from a fate worse than death."  
        "That's.. why he  
threatened to introduce him.. to his  
stallion."  
        "Yes, love."  
        Ray squeezed his  
hand weakly.  
        "Zuko  
said he managed to get a look at the guy who  
shot him. Getting  
into your car. Dressed in a way you'd  
never dress."  
        "Doz'n know how  
I drez now dayz.."  
        "He  
also said the guy didn't have your big beak."  
        "Loverly."  
        Huey chuckled.  
        "You're in the clear."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        "Hey Frankie."  
        Zuko looked around  
to see Ray wheel himself in, in a  
wheel chair.  
        "I heard you were  
here.. What were you in for?"  
        "Being  
sealed up alive in a wall."  
        "Ah..  
You alway's gotta try to take out the big guy's  
dontcha. Didn't  
anyone ever tell you going up against the  
Rooks is a fast way to end up dead? Every cop who tries ends  
up  
really dead.. and in a wall.. or a floor somewhere..  
Gotta say though, you're the first I ever heard who got out  
alive."  
        "Yeah well.. It  
was a pretty near thing. You and me,  
we could have an argument  
about who was closer to death when  
they got us here.."  
        "Me.. No contest.  
I had two slugs in me."  
        "Irene  
say's hi. And thank you for stopping the feud..  
Oh and that watch  
you've been going nuts looking for is  
behind the drawers."  
        "You win."  
        Ray smiled faintly.  
        "Did she tell  
you to go back?"  
        "Said  
I still had work to do.. Boy did I get surprise  
when I woke up..  
And found out what Fraser and Huey had been  
up to while I was comatose.  
The Rooks never knew what hit em.  
Literally.. We're gonna go after  
them in a big way after I  
get outta here."  
        "More the fool you."  
        "Dintcha hear."  
        "Hear what?"  
        "Between em,  
Fraser and Huey nabbed 53 rooks.. From  
kids up."  
        "Impressive.."  
        "Huey's been  
grilling em.. He say's they got all the  
kids.. all the ones that  
are left are long term Rooks.. Only  
reason he's held off finishing  
what he started a long time  
ago was the kids.. Now he knows he got all of them in one  
fell swoop, he's planning a big raid.. It's gonna be really  
something..  
Police from *Five* precincts, Military back up..  
Choppers.. Weapons..  
They're gonna clean up the Devil's  
Triangle once and for all.. and once they flush everyone  
out.. They're gonna blow it sky high.. Got permission from  
the Mayor to do it."  
        "Tell em to do a  
sweep for bodies first.. Heard  
stories.."  
        "Probably all in  
walls and floors around the place."  
        "Exactly.  
Though I hear the sewers around there have  
the biggest rats."  
        "Yeah, the two legged  
type. Huey and Fraser planted  
explosives in it."  
        "Luck.. Pure luck."  
        "Skill Zuko.  
There's a difference. That skill saved  
you from going down for  
Louis' murder.. And don't you forget  
it."  
        "Like I could."  
        Ray didn't pretend  
to not to know what he meant, but  
didn't acknowledge it either.  
        "Now we're even."  
        "What do you  
mean?"  
        "That..  
guy.. the one who shot me."  
        "His  
name was Giordi."  
        "Was?"  
        "He's dead..  
Dief tracked him and got stuck into him."  
        Zuko  
gave an evil grin.  
        "Yeah..  
I did the same thing when I heard.. So what  
about him?"  
        "He looked like  
you."  
        "But  
his nose was wrong."  
        "No.."  
        Ray's eyes widened.  
        "He looked  
*Exactly* like you."  
        Ray  
touched his own face.  
        "I  
covered your ass."  
        "That's  
what he was doing."  
        Zuko  
just looked at him.  
        "He  
smeared something all over my face..while I was  
still dazed from  
his first move.. He pulled it off before he  
got stuck into my face.  
Must have been making a mask of my  
face.. Fraser said he was the ugliest son of a bitch you  
ever saw.. Burn scars everywhere."  
        "Now he's a dead  
son of a bitch.. Give that Wolf an  
extra big piece of steak for  
me.. No wait.. It's addicted to  
junk food isn't it.. Or so I heard."  
        "Yeah. That's right."  
        "What's its  
favourite thing?"  
        "It's  
a toss up between my Jelly doughnuts and milk  
duds."  
        "Give him both."  
        "Don't worry..  
I intend to give him the biggest bag of  
milk duds you ever did  
see when I get outta here. They said  
he helped them find me."  
        Then he leaned closer.  
        "If you thought  
it was me, why did you lie?"  
        "Who  
said I thought it was you.. Knew it wasn't you."  
        "The  
click.."  
        "That  
was a clue. The biggest one was that he shot me  
in the back.. If  
you were going to take me down, you  
wouldn't do it with a bullet in the back. You'd make sure  
your face was the last thing I saw before I died."  
        Ray reached out to touch  
his arm.  
        "Irene  
gave me another message for you."  
        "What  
was it?"  
        "Give  
up the cigars, or you're gonna be joining her.  
And it'll be lung  
cancer that gets you."  
        "Message received.  
Did she say anything else?"  
        "Just  
a message for me."  
        "About  
what?"  
        Ray  
looked at nothing or at least that's how it seemed  
to him. He could  
see Louis across the room. The apparition  
vanished as soon as he focused on it.  
        "Someone's gonna  
die soon.. And she doesn't wan me  
doing anything stupid when it  
happens."  
  


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray's return to duty  
was cause for a double  
celebration. Huey announced the next day  
at 5am sharp the  
raid on Devil's triangle was going down and with *full*  
military back up.  
        "How'd you swing  
that?"  
        "Well  
it seems they're rather irritated about weapons  
  
that have been going missing. And were most appreciative  
when I told them who the Rook in their ranks was."  
        "Aha. I s'pose there's  
no point in asking you to *not*  
attend."  
        "I won't be there."  
        "You won't?  
Where are you going to be?"  
        "You  
and I are going to be kicking in doors in another  
part of town  
taking down the king pins, while their rats  
nest is being raided."  
        Ray ran a hand up Huey's  
chest.  
        "Not  
here."  
        "Who  
gives a shit what some KKK guy thinks.. If I  
wanna touch you I  
will.. in fact.."  
        He moved away to climb  
onto a desk and got himself some  
attention by announcing he had  
an announcement to make.  
        "Now that I've got  
some attention here I just thought  
I'd tell the whole world.."  
        He looked down at Huey.  
        "I love Jack  
Huey.. And we're gonna get married.. In  
Hawaii just as soon as  
our mother's get over arguing about  
the nitty gritty of all those things mother's get excited  
about at weddings.."  
        There was a smattering  
of applause and congratulations  
and Ray jumped down to give Huey  
a hard kiss.  
        "When you're close  
to death you learn a few things  
Huey and one of those things is  
to live your life to the  
fullest while you've still got it."  
        Huey smiled at him, then  
Ray was staring past him. Huey  
looked around, but couldn't see  
anything but colleagues  
sipping drinks and chatting. But Ray could see something and  
what  
he saw was Louis standing behind a man waving his arms  
around.  
Ray gave a little nod and Louis pointed emphatically  
at the man.  
Then Louis arms went out and he let his head  
lolled, like Christ on the crucifix, before he vanished.  
        "Ray?"  
        Huey waved a hand in  
Ray's face.  
        "Cara  
Mia?"  
        Ray worked  
it out and pushed Huey out of his way and went striding across  
the  
room.  
        "Yo Brubaker.. I  
want a word with you."  
        Brubaker  
looked at him and there was no mistaking the  
loathing on his face.  
Ray strode right up to him, planting  
his hands in the mans chest and shoved him back.  
        "You gotta problem  
with my announcement - Redneck?"  
        "Touch  
me again, faggot and I'll lay you out so  
fast."  
        Huey started moving in  
as did Welsh from the other side  
of the room. Ray shoved him again,  
and Brubaker threw a  
punch. Ray ducked, throwing one of his own right into his  
gut. When Brubaker was folding up, Ray was moving, his arm  
going out, then he heard Huey scream his name and looked  
around before Huey's hand's slammed into him and he went  
flying. He heard a gun go off and hit the wall.  
        He pushed himself up  
shaking his head a little dazed  
and looked around. Three people  
were right on top of  
Brubaker, and Huey he couldn't see Huey. But he did see  
Louis again. Right in front of him.  
        "Now he'll go down  
for it."  
        "Down  
for what?"  
        Louis  
looked around and down. Ray looked down and  
forgot all about Louis  
rushing to the fallen Huey's side.  
There were already a number of people there, one who moved  
and let him take their place. He wrapped an arm around  
Huey's back half lifting him. Huey looked at him wide eyed.  
        The tear's poured down  
Ray's face as he kissed Huey on  
the top of the head and stroked  
his face, ignoring the  
spreading stain of blood across his shirt front under Huey's  
hand.  
        "I love and adore  
you, Tesoro."  
        "Till  
death do us part."  
        "You  
know it, Cara Mia."  
        "I  
can see Louis... Why can I see Louis? Louis is  
dead."  
        Ray touched his brow  
to Huey's  
        "He's  
here for you.."  
        Huey  
looked at him.  
        "Take  
them down for me."  
        "Me  
and Fraser.. We'll be there.. Kicking in doors,  
5am sharp."  
        "I never..got..  
to borrow.. his uniform.. had.. it  
all.. planned..too.." Huey  
said, then his eyes rolled back  
and he went limp in Ray's arms,  
breathing his last.  


  |   |   
---|---|---  
  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
  
  
        At 5am on the dot. Ray  
gave the especially deputised  
Fraser the order to kick in the door  
of the head king pin of  
the Rooks. With a mighty kick the door  
collapsed inward and  
they were soon hauling out a cuffed and indignant  
city  
council man who made lots of threats about taking badges.  
        Ray shoved him into the  
paddy wagon.  
        "Jack  
Huey says hi," he said before he slammed the  
door closed.  
        Across town the raid  
began.  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        3 days later, Ray stood  
before the assemblage in the  
church where Huey's memorial service  
was being held, he was  
dressed not in his uniform or black, but  
white, his spray on  
jeans, white silk shirt, and vest, the only  
touch of black  
was the band around his arm.  
        "When I was messed  
up and needed someone to take care  
of me, Jack was there. He always  
seemed to find the right  
thing to say to make me feel better. I don't know what the  
right thing to say is.. I wouldn't be here today if it  
wasn't for Jack.. I'd be in his place. But that's the kind  
of man he was. Always putting others first."  
        He took a deep breath.  
        "I'm sure you  
all know what happened 3 days ago."  


  | There were murmurs and nods. |   
---|---|---  
  
        "I suppose a lot  
of you were wondering how he knew so  
damn much about the Rooks..  
He knew because he was once  
inducted into the Rooks. He told me about it once. Breaking  
away  
from that gang was the hardest thing he ever did.. The  
bravest  
thing he ever did was to return.. To go back for a  
friend who was being held by them.. He went back knowing  
what could happen.. That they'd kill him if they worked out he cut a  
deal  
with a cop. But he did what he set out to do.. he got out..  
And he got his  
friend out too.. And a cop called Vincent Fordam gave  
him a chance to do  
something with his life. An opportunity he embraced  
whole heartedly."  
        He  
took a sip of the water left on the stand before he  
could continue.  
        "When he told me..  
he knew enough to take down the  
Rooks I asked him why he hadn't  
done it.. He said it was the  
kids, like him, the innocents who'd  
be put in the front  
line. Well before that raid went down. Jack and..a friend  
went into the heart of the Devil's Triangle. No back up,  
no support. And used non lethal means of driving them out of that rats  
nest  
in a way that would make it easy to identify them. The next  
day they  
rounded up 53 rooks, half of them were just kids. Kids who  
will have a  
chance to live a normal life now. And once they were  
all out of the front  
line, he planned with military precision, and  
assistance, the raid on  
Devil's Triangle and did we kick butt or  
what?"  
        There was a murmur of  
assent.  
        "The  
Rooks are history. All because of one man, Jack  
Huey."  
        He looked up.  
        "Wherever  
you are Jack.. We took em down but good for  
ya."  
          


  |   |   | *~~~~~~~~~~)(~~~~~~~~~~~*   
---|---|---|---  
  
  
        Ray stood alone by the  
fresh grave of Huey, hugging himself. He was  
dressed in a rather  
bright ensemble, skin tight jeans, bright silk shirt,  
vest and coat,  
black band around his sleeve. Fraser almost blended in with  
a tree  
in his brown uniform. His hat went around and around in his hands as  
he wondered wether or not to approach. Then Dief slunk over to nudge  
Ray's  
leg. Ray looked down and jumped at the sight of the still black  
wolf.  
        That did it.  
Fraser stepped into view.  
        "It's  
just Dief, we had to dye his fur before we moved in on the Devil's  
triangle."  
        Ray looked around then,  
acknowledging his presence before he gave his  
attention to Dief.  
Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a box of milk  
duds and opened  
it. Dief sat at his heel looking up at him while Ray ripped  
the plastic  
packet inside open. Then the squatted down pouring some onto  
his  
hand to offer them to the wolf.  
        Dief's snout went under  
his hand and pushed it up toward his face. Ray  
tucked away the box  
and gave him a scratch behind the ears.  
        "These are for you,  
for all your help. You'll make me happy eating them."  
        He  
offered them to the wolf again. This time Dief inhaled them up and gave  
him a wolfy grin and his tail thumped the fresh dirt a time or two.  
        Fraser approached while  
Ray fed the wolf the whole box of milk duds, one  
handful at a time.  
Out of Habit he almost told Ray off for pandering to  
Dief's junk  
food addiction. He managed to prevent himself.  
        "A huge carton of  
Milk dud's arrived on my doorstep this morning."  
        "Did  
it? Was there a tag on it?"  
        "Yes.  
It said, Ask Ray, FZ."  
        "Zuko."  
        "Why?"  
        "Cause I told  
him what Dief did to the guy who put two slugs in his back  
and almost  
killed him."  
        "Ah."  
        Ray looked over at the  
grave.  
        "It  
shouldna happened. I shoulda kept my mouth shut.. Like I agreed to."  
        "It would have  
happened, Ray. In a far worse way.. I was investigating..  
And I finally  
got the answers I needed.. Brubaker was a card carrying  
member of  
the KKK, he was born in their heart land and his father,  
grandfather,  
brothers and uncles are all in the KKK, he was raised  
believing that  
their way was right. If you hadn't confronted him, he would  
have  
simply bided his time, and killed Huey in the way the KKK usually do,  
and decorated your lawn with a burning cross to make it clear why Huey  
died  
that way. Instead, Huey died a quick death doing something meaningful,  
saving your life. That's a much better way of dying than being degraded,  
and beaten to death in a way that gives the KKK a foot hold in this city,  
which a KKK murder of a black police officer would give them."  
        Dief rested his snout  
in Ray's lap, and Ray gave his fur a ruffle.  
        "Ma  
was against it."  
        "I  
thought you said.."  
        "Because  
he was black.. She knew it would only lead to trouble. She said  
it  
to my face. Even Huey said we should end it.. After the incident in the  
car park. But I was too stubborn.. I wasn't going to let anyone tell  
me how  
to live my life.. And look what it got me."  
        "I think there was  
more to it than just plain stubbornness Ray. You'd be  
doing the customary  
thing, wearing black, and saying all the right things,  
but it wouldn't  
hurt as much as it does if there was nothing more to it.  
Instead  
you dress the way he loved seeing you dressed. Just because it was  
the way he loved to see you dressed. And it eats you up that he died  
that  
way. At the hands of that man, because you announced to everyone  
your  
intentions to marry him. And I have no doubt you would have  
carried out  
those intentions. If all it was, was stubbornness, you  
would have ended it  
the night we had sex."  
        Ray hung his head.  
        "It shouldn't have  
happened."  
        "He  
knew about it."  
        Ray's  
head snapped up and around, eyes wide.  
        "He  
knew and we talked about it.. He would have let you go, he was  
planning  
to have one last night with you before he told you he knew.. and  
give you his blessing to follow your heart."  
        "He never told me  
he knew."  
        "At  
the time we were more concerned that you recover your health and  
didn't want to put you under stress."  
        Ray looked away and pulled  
a small foil packet from his coat and ripped it  
open with his teeth.  
Fraser was curious, but not for long. Ray rose and  
bent over the  
grave scattering the seeds from the packet all over the  
freshly turned  
soil. Another packet came from his pocket, and the act was  
repeated,  
thrice over. Then Ray went down on his hands and knee's and made  
sure all the scattered seeds and fertiliser pellets were covered with  
soil.  
  
        Dusting off his hands  
he rose and stepped back.  
        "What  
did you plant?" The curious Fraser asked as he followed, Dief on  
his  
heels.  
        "Forget me nots."  
  
        ===============================================  
  
        The End.  
        Copyright Red Skye, May  
16th, 1998  
        All the  
usual disclaimers apply. All characters that I  
didn't invent for  
this story belong to Alliance. I just  
borrowed your toys to play with them a little.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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